Tips for penalty shootouts
Drinking bottle trick helps England keeper Pickford set record
07.07.2024, 14:43
For the third time in the last four tournaments, England’s footballers are in the semi-finals. Coach Gareth Southgate’s team may have been disappointing in terms of playing skills – but the Three Lions showed their quality in the penalty shootout. Thanks in part to a prepared drinking bottle.
The penalty curse has been defeated, the critics appeased – England’s national team’s historic European Championship mission continues despite persistently poor performances. A cheat sheet on goalkeeper Jordan Pickford’s drinking bottle and unusual nerves of steel helped them reach the European Championship semi-finals with a 5:3 (1:1, 1:1, 0:0) penalty thriller against Switzerland. The prospect of reaching the final of a major tournament outside England for the first time made match winner Bukayo Saka euphoric: “These two games can change our lives. We can make history.”
Unlike the European Championship showdown against Italy three years ago, this time all five shooters kept their nerve in the duel from the penalty spot. Saka in particular had forgotten the trauma of 2021 in an instant. His missed penalty in front of his home crowd at Wembley and the subsequent, sometimes racist, criticism from many disappointed English fans did not stop him from taking responsibility again – and converting with ice-cold precision.
The fact that the 1966 world champions can still dream of their first major title in 58 years was also thanks to Pickford. The preferences of the Swiss penalty takers immortalized on his drinking bottle helped the English goalkeeper to parry Manuel Akanji’s first shot. The “Dive left” hint behind the name of the former Dortmund defender proved particularly helpful.
The fact that, according to the newspaper “The Sun”, the goalkeeper ignored his own instructions when other shooters were shooting and flew into the wrong corner did not detract from the fairytale story of the winning drinking bottle. “I believed in my mentality and in myself. I believed that I would save at least one,” said the 30-year-old keeper. And that’s how it happened.
Pickford’s predecessors saved only 2 of 36 penalties
With Pickford’s help, the English can suddenly win penalty shootouts again. In three duels from the spot, he saved 4 of 14 penalties, significantly outperforming his predecessors. On Saturday against Akanji, in 2021 against Italy against Jorginho and Andrea Belotti, and at the 2018 World Cup against Colombia against Carlos Bacca. The European Championship final against Italy was only lost three years ago because three English shooters missed. “If you want to win tournaments, it’s not just about playing well. You have to show some of these other attributes,” said coach Gearth Southgate.
Since 1990, English goalkeepers have only saved six attempts in penalty shootouts. While Pickford’s rate is outstanding, the other goalkeepers’ rate between 1990 and 2012 was 2 out of 36, according to data service provider Opta.
The entry into the semi-finals on Wednesday (9 p.m./MagentaTV and in the live ticker at ntv.de) in Dortmund against the Netherlands is a particular satisfaction for Southgate. The criticism at home of his team’s poor football so far should subside in the coming days. “We are now in the third semi-final of four tournaments. That is a good performance. Now we want to make the big breakthrough.”