‘I tousled by providing to take Germany’s fifth penalty at Euro 96. It was essentially the most strain I ever felt – and I nonetheless have Gareth Southgate’s shirt!’
Placing your hand as much as take a penalty with a spot within the remaining of a significant match on the road is without doubt one of the bolder issues a footballer can do. You’re anticipated to attain, however do you have to be the participant who misses the very important spot kick, it could even be a career-defining second.
Whereas Gareth Southgate has loved a fruitful second act as essentially the most profitable England supervisor of recent instances, his enjoying profession was without end blighted by his Euro 96 shootout miss. Southgate’s miss got here after ten penalties had been duly dispatched because the Germans lived as much as their popularity as mentality masters, amid England nerves.
This contrasting mentality and the arrogance of the Germans was underlined by Stefan Kuntz, who took the penalty earlier than Southgate’s fateful spot kick, figuring out that had he missed, it will have all been over. That’s as a result of when Kuntz volunteered to take Germany’s fifth penalty, he assumed the shootout wouldn’t have even obtained that far.
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“I tousled just a little bit with the shootout,” Kuntz tells FourFourTwo. “I didn’t suppose England would take a fifth penalty – I assumed it will be over by that time – so I provided to take that one for Germany. England scored their fifth, which left me needing to attain. It was essentially the most strain of my complete profession.
Truthfully, we felt it too! I’m simply glad it went in.” Interstingly, each Kuntz and Southgate had been appointed as their respective nations’ Beneath-21 managers after they hung up their boots, that means they’ve had the prospect to reminisce about that night time on the outdated Wembley Stadium.
“Sure, Gareth and I’ve met fairly just a few instances” he provides. “I took his shirt after that match at Wembley and I nonetheless have it. Once we met once more, I instructed him that and agreed to provide him one among my outdated ones the following time we met, which I did.”
Gareth Southgate after lacking his penalty towards Germany in the course of the Euro 96 semi-final (Picture credit score: PA)
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