Every major tournament ends up in a penalty shootout against England.
Heartbreak, glory, and tension. You know it’s going to happen someday, so get ready, buckle up, and brace yourself.
We’ve already seen two European giants, Germany and the Netherlands, eliminated from the first round of the finals in crazy penalty shootouts due to mistakes, saves and woodwork hits.
England and a shootout is written in the stars. The pain of Euro 96, the heartbreak of the Euro 2021 final at Wembley. Gareth Southgate’s heroic victory over Colombia in 2018 ended the long wait.
So what are England doing to avoid joining Kai Havertz, Virgil van Dijk and their team-mates on the next flight home? Which players have the best record of withstanding pressure?
Here’s the problem. Manager Thomas Tuchel actually sat his players down and told them that if England were to win the World Cup, they would win twice on penalties.
This can be seen from statistics, probability, and history. So England are bracing themselves, practicing their spot-kicks and preparing for the inevitable.
Even if there is no shootout against the Democratic Republic of Congo in Wednesday’s round of 32, there will definitely be a shootout midway through the extended finals.
If you want to win the World Cup, there could be five finals. It was a close game against England, so we’ll be prepared to bite our nails.
England have won three and lost seven in penalty shootouts in men’s Euro and World Cup history.
The last time England went to penalties was in the quarter-finals of Euro 2024, where they beat Switzerland 5-3 in perhaps the best-executed five-penalty shootout.
That was when Harry Kane left the pitch. Cole Palmer, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, Ivan Toney and Trent Alexander-Arnold sent England into the semi-finals.
Of course, Alexander-Arnold, who has a career penalty record of 100% (all shootouts), and Palmer, who boasts an incredible 21 of 23 career points (91%) (including a 100% shootout), are not on the team. Harry Maguire also likes to hit home spot-kicks and has a penalty record of six out of seven (86%).
However, England has continued to practice regularly since arriving in Florida. They kept records and collected them.
A mock shootout was also held after the friendly match without spectators.
Tuchel has declared that one of the reasons he likes ‘special forces’ Ivan Toney is because the striker is deadly from the spot and exudes confidence with his no-look technique.
England manager Tuchel has 11 regular penalty takers in his squad. Let’s see how they fare here. Incidentally, Jordan Pickford also says that even if he were to win one, he would be relegated to the bottom of the list.
Who England are likely to take penalties, and who should and shouldn’t take them.
1. Harry Kane
He missed one in this tournament (but it was retaken so it doesn’t count in the stats), but he took it again and scored. It shows his calmness and spirituality.
Famously, he missed the second penalty in the World Cup quarter-final against France, but if he were still on the pitch, he would definitely be number one with a 100% shootout success rate and a combined record of 89.4% for club and country. That’s an impressive 110 penalties earned for 123 penalties.
2. Ivan Tony
Deadly from the spot. In his last game, he even joked about his no-look by playing no-look darts and basketball when posting on social media.
He shot 91 percent from the field, scoring 67 of his 73 career points and 10 of 12 in shootouts. It’s a great record. If the match is tied late in the game, be careful about changing the “finisher”.
Toney scored the spot goal as England defeated Switzerland on penalties at Euro 2020 (Image: Getty Images)
3. Marcus Rashford
Although he was unable to participate in Euro 2020 held at Wembley, he has great technique and unwavering belief. In the shootout, he scored 3 points and missed 1 shot (at Wembley). Earned 21 of 24 total in Career (87.5%)
4. Bukayo Saka
19 of 22 (86.4%) for club and country, which is outstanding. His only failure in the shootout was that heartbreak at Wembley. Can he stay healthy enough to last 120 minutes and step up again?
5. Anthony Gordon
An outstanding penalty taker who scored a goal in the Florida friendly. Smash it and place it in the top corner. 100% in shootouts for club and country with just 1 mistake (18 to 17 – 94%). wonderful. If he doesn’t start, he could be used solely to record penalties in overtime.
6. Reece James
Excellent technique with a 100 percent (5-on-5) record for club and country and a 100 percent (4-on-4) record in shootouts.
7. Elliot Anderson
Plus 100 people per center. 5 out of 5 for club and country. Calm mind and temperament.
8. Jude Bellingham
Should I tell him not to take it? He’s full of it. Incredible mental strength. He has a good record of 5 out of 6 career pens and 3 out of 3 shootouts.
9. Declan Rice
Records from the field: 7 goals, 5 goals, 2 missed goals for club and country. But he’s someone who wants a chance.
And who probably shouldn’t…
10. Olly Watkins
He is happy to take penalties, but his record is spotty at best. I scored 16 points, scored 9 points, and missed 7 points (56% is pretty low). However, he is 3-3 with a 100 percent shootout success rate.
11. Eberechi Eze
He scored 12 goals for club and country combined. Scored 8 but failed to score 4 (66%). They had a poor performance in the shootout, giving up three shots and only scoring on one (33%). Arsenal fans need no reminder that the last game they missed was the Champions League final.
However, his accomplishments are significant and he said he would not hesitate to win the World Cup. But let’s hope that doesn’t happen…
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