Eze Would Take England Penalty After Arsenal Miss
Eberechi Eze would still step up for England at a World Cup shootout despite sending his penalty wide in Arsenal’s Champions League final loss to Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest last month. The attacking midfielder said he will not change his stuttering run-up.
Eze Keeps His Penalty Routine
“No, I think I have taken penalties for a long time and it’s part of the journey,” Eze said when asked if he would alter his technique. He added: “If there is a penalty to take I’ll be there again.”
That response comes after a miss that carried more weight than a routine league chance. Eze had already seen softly struck penalties saved for Crystal Palace against Liverpool and Newcastle last year, but he said the latest miss will not push him away from another attempt.
Arsenal Miss In Budapest
Last month’s shootout in Budapest ended with Arsenal losing on penalties to Paris Saint-Germain, and Eze was among those who failed to convert. He said afterward: “We’ll go for it again next season and if there is a penalty to take then I’ll be there again.”
He framed the miss as part of the wider experience of top-level takers, saying: “All the big players have missed big penalties, have experienced these type of moments.” Eze also said, “I’m going to grow from it, learn from it and move forward.”
That leaves England with a player who is not backing away from the spot even after a high-profile failure. Thomas Tuchel’s side open their Group L campaign against Croatia on Wednesday, while Sir Gareth Southgate said England are “ready to win” and backed the squad to handle the pressure of knockout nights again.
Southgate Backing England
Southgate, who stepped down after England lost the Euro 2024 final to Spain, said in a video posted on Instagram that he wants Tuchel’s team to carry the confidence built on previous knockout success. “I just wanted to take a moment to say good luck to all the boys,” he said, adding: “I know all the big knockout nights that we've had mean they're going to be full of confidence going into this tournament.”
He finished with a direct vote of faith in the group: “They've overcome so many hurdles to winning penalty shootouts, semi-finals. We got so close and they're ready to win.” For Eze, the message is simpler. The miss in Budapest did not change his answer for the next shootout.
