June 30th 2024.
As England takes the field for their Euro 2024 round of 16 match against Slovakia tonight, they will be hoping to avoid the dreaded penalty shootout. The Three Lions have had a lackluster campaign so far, but they are still considered the favorites for this game. However, given England's history of struggling to find their form in front of the goal, it would not be a surprise if this match goes into extra time or even penalties.
Let's face it, England has not had the best track record when it comes to penalty shootouts. Out of the ten major tournaments they have participated in, they have lost seven times from the spot. Despite having a talented squad that includes players like Harry Kane, Cole Palmer, and Ivan Toney, who are all known for their penalty prowess, their numbers in reality may not be as impressive as they seem on paper. So, let's take a closer look at the penalty record of some of the key players in Gareth Southgate's team, from their U18 days and above, with a minimum of five penalties taken.
First up, we have Cole Palmer, who has a perfect record of scoring all nine of his Premier League penalties last season and has yet to miss a single penalty in his career. He also opened his account for England in their warm-up match against Bosnia at the start of June. Next, we have Trent Alexander-Arnold, who has a perfect record of seven out of seven penalties taken. While he has not taken one at the senior level in normal time or extra time, he was four out of four for England's U19s and has also scored for Liverpool in shootouts in the FA Cup, League Cup, and European Super Cup.
Conor Gallagher's record is also impressive, with five out of five penalties scored for Chelsea's U18s and another one for West Brom in the League Cup. Ivan Toney, who recently scored against Belgium, has an impressive record of seven out of eight penalties converted in shootouts, making him a valuable option from the bench if England goes to penalties. Eberechi Eze has only missed one penalty since his first attempt for QPR in 2019 and has scored eight out of eight ever since, including two in the Premier League and one for England's U21s.
It's no surprise that Harry Kane has scored twice as many penalties in his career than any other member of the England squad. He has been faultless since his miss in the 2022 World Cup quarter-final against France, scoring 15 in a row and boasting a perfect record of five out of five in shootouts. Bukayo Saka, who infamously missed the decisive penalty against Italy in the Euro 2020 final, has since established himself as Arsenal's first-choice taker, scoring all but one of his 13 attempts since that fateful night at Wembley, including three out of three in shootouts.
Anthony Gordon has only taken one senior penalty in normal time, which he scored, and has a perfect record of two out of two in domestic shootouts and eight out of ten overall. Jarrod Bowen has a slightly patchy record of six out of nine at club level, but he did score in his only shoot-out against Manchester City in the League Cup. Ollie Watkins has scored four out of nine penalties in regular time and has not been given a chance to take one since May 2023. However, he has a perfect record of two out of two in shootouts, including one in the Europa Conference League this season.
And finally, we have Kieran Trippier, who famously converted the crucial fourth penalty against Colombia in the 2018 World Cup, helping England secure their first win on penalties in over 20 years. However, his record beyond that is average, with two misses in regular time and one in a League Cup shootout against Chelsea last season. But he seems to have more success from free kicks than penalties.
So, as England prepares for their match against Slovakia, it's clear that while they may have some players with impressive penalty records, it's important to remember that the pressure of a major tournament can often affect a player's performance. Will England be able to break their penalty curse and advance to the next round? We'll have to wait and see. Follow The Agency's live blog for full coverage of England's Euro 2024 clash against Slovakia.
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