English pain after Euro 2012’s best game

In world football, there surely is no greater anguish than a penalty shootout involving England. It’s agony to watch because you know in advance how it will end – with England players, proud men like Steven Gerrard, walking like the dead off the pitch, alone in a world of torment, regret and what-ifs after falling short once again in the toughest, cruelest test this sport has devised for players’ minds. This time, against Italy in the most enthralling of the four Euro 2012 quarterfinals, the names that got added to England’s hall of penalty infamy were both Ashleys, Young and Cole. The winger and the left back swelled the sorry group of England players who cracked while faced with just an opposing goalkeeper and their own fear of failure. Their predecessors included the likes of David Beckham and Gareth Southgate, who managed to turn the shame of his missed penalty at Euro ’96 into a joke, appearing in a pizza commercial with his head hidden in a paper bag. Cole and Young won’t be the last. This is because England’s record of failure in shootouts is now so consistently awful that it has become a running sore on the national psyche. The loss to Italy took England’s record in seven World Cup and European Championship shootouts to: Rest of the world 6, England 1. One. Uno. Ein. No matter the language, that is the astounding number. Luck is part of it. So is preparation. But mostly, penalty shootouts are won between the ears. They are about confidence, belief and being able to shut out that inner voice whispering, “You are going to miss this.” The goal looks smaller than it is, the goalkeeper looms like a giant. Gerrard, who slotted home England’s first penalty early Monday morning after 120 minutes of football ended 0-0, has described England’s penalty curse as a “mental block.” In his biography, he suggested England must start practicing shootouts at the end of friendly matches, while the stadium is still full. “It’s the only realistic way of practicing penalties. That draining walk from the halfway line. The tension. That feeling that everyone is watching, jeering or cheering,” the England and Liverpool captain wrote. So that’s an idea for the future. But, in Kiev’s Olympic Stadium, it was pain. “We have done the country proud but again we go home with heartbreak and it’s difficult to take,” said Gerrard. This was the eighth time that Italy has faced a shootout in World Cups and the Euros. It has now won three. FIFA boss Sepp Blatter isn’t a fan of shootouts, saying this May that “when football goes to penalty kicks, it loses its essence as a team sport.” He has even asked German great Franz Beckenbauer to see if an alternative is possible. Shootouts are unbeatable drama, and this one was no exception. Like gladiators about to face the lions together, the two goalkeepers, Joe Hart and Italy’s Gianluigi Buffon, shared a hand slap of mutual respect before the shooting began. England assistant coach Gary Neville threw a pen in anger into the turf – as if he knew that this would end with English tears again. “Send us victorious, happy and glorious” the England fans sang. Two physios pounded and massaged Gerrard’s legs like pizza dough, readying the England captain’s tired muscles for the torture ahead. Italy’s Riccardo Montolivo was the first to crack, firing his penalty wide of Hart’s right-hand post. He buried his head in his hands. Perhaps, just perhaps, this might be England’s night after all. But no. Young shot high, his penalty slamming off Buffon’s crossbar. England manager Roy Hodgson chewed his lip. Next up for England was Cole. The Chelsea player nervously licked his lips on the long walk from the center of the pitch to the penalty spot. He placed the ball on the turf, took seven steps back and stood hands on hips. He was perhaps thinking about it a little too much. Sure enough, his run-up was slow and his shot to Buffon’s left was tame. The Italian guessed correctly, and made the save. Alessandro Diamanti then finished the job, ramming the dagger through English hearts by shooting cleanly past Hart. Cue Italian delirium, with Buffon puffing out his cheeks in relief. Neutrals would say that justice was done. Italy were the better team. That will be of no consolation to the English. “Penalties has become an obsession for us in English football and in training they have done extremely well,” Hodgson said. “But you can’t reproduce the tired legs. You can’t reproduce the pressure. You can’t reproduce the nervous tension.”