England could face the lottery of a penalty shootout tonight as they take on DR Congo in the World Cup round of 32. The Three Lions’ most recent shootout was at Euro 2024, under former manager Gareth Southgate, where they beat Switzerland 5-3 on penalties to reach the semi-finals.
Who Scored in Euro 2024?
Cole Palmer, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, Ivan Toney and Trent Alexander-Arnold all scored, with Toney’s attempt notable for not looking at the ball while he struck it. Thomas Tuchel will have to make changes to that line-up, having left Palmer and Alexander-Arnold at home.
Shearer’s Top Five
Alan Shearer has given his choice for England’s takers should the time come to fire home from 12 yards. “For me, my five would be: Harry Kane, Anthony Gordon, Ivan Toney, Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford,” Shearer told Betfair. He added: “I've been in that situation where you've got your five before the game and there may be only two left on the pitch. So, you have to chop and change. But in an ideal world, if it goes to penalties, then those would be my five.”
After England’s shootout win in 2024, Shearer produced a now-famous speech about the pressure the players had overcome. He said at the time: "Palmer, Bellingham, Saka, Toney, Trent. Pressure? What pressure? Pressure is for tyres! It's a different generation. They don't feel it. How confident were they? They had the belief."
England’s Penalty History
Shearer scored in the Three Lions’ loss on penalties to Germany in the Euro 1996 semi-finals, part of a run of six England shootout defeats in seven. Southgate missed the decisive penalty that day at Wembley. After being hired as England manager in late 2016, Southgate and the FA overhauled the team’s penalty methodology, borrowing principles from a book called Pressure: Lessons from the psychology of the penalty shootout. The book insisted penalties should be deconstructed step-by-step, rather than construed as a ‘lottery’ or ‘luck’.
Learning this process culminated in England’s first-ever World Cup penalty shootout victory against Colombia: Kane and Rashford scored that day, with Jordan Pickford saving two penalties in a 4-3 shootout win. England have won three of their last four shootouts since then.
Potential Route Ahead
If the Three Lions do overcome DR Congo - on penalties or otherwise - Shearer remains concerned about Mexico, who England will meet in the last-16 should they progress. He said: “Looking at England's route to the final I would be most worried about going to the Azteca in Mexico. They have only lost two World Cup games there in sixty years, so that really concerns me.” The last-16 clash is scheduled for 1am BST on Monday June 6.
