timeThe last European Cup without penalty shootouts was in 1988, when there were eight teams and only three knockout matches. Therefore, it is almost certain that at least one country will withdraw from Euro 2024 in the coming weeks. But among the past 16 teams, which team has the most reason to be fearful or confident based on past penalty record? Is there really a country with a worse record than England? Answer: Yes. Sort of.
Switzerland
won 1lost 4pen conversion rate: 65.2%
Switzerland earned a memorable penalty shootout win over France at Euro 2020, with Yann Sommer saving Kylian Mbappé’s penalty The favorite team is eliminated. It’s good for Switzerland to get a win because otherwise their record is terrible. They left the 2006 World Cup, Euro 2016 and Euro 2020 with pens in hand. They even lost to England on penalties, although that was the 2019 Nations League third and fourth place final and no one really cared about that.
Italy
watt6,L7pen conversion rate: 70.8%
Predictably for a country that thrives on intense games, Italy has been involved in a number of penalty shootouts. Severe suffering included a World Cup defeat at home to Argentina in 1990 and a defeat by Brazil in the final four years later, with a semi-fit Roberto Baggio tipping over the crossbar. There were happy moments too, notably the 2006 World Cup final against France and the last European Cup final against England, where Gianluigi Donnarumma became a hero. It’s a complex process, but it always ends the same way: Italian men in tears on the pitch.
Germany
watt6,L1pen conversion rate: 86.5%
West Germany lost on penalties to Czechoslovakia in the first important international final: €76, with Antonin Panenka becoming famous for his audacious and decisive goal. The Germans disliked the experience so much that they decided not to lose again, winning four World Cups and two European Championships on penalties, beating France, Mexico, England (twice), Argentina and most recently Italy. In seven penalty shootouts, only five German players have missed a penalty. Efficient.
Denmark
watt2,L3pen conversion rate: 76%
Denmark lost to Spain in a penalty shootout in the semi-finals of Euro 84, but made up for that defeat eight years later. Peter Schmeichel saved Van Basten’s penalty kick to help defeat the Netherlands in a penalty shootout and enter the 1992 European Cup final, which Denmark won. However, their most recent penalty memory is a bitter one, with Croatia knocking Denmark out of the 2018 World Cup. A glimmer of hope? Kasper Schmeichel, who is still the goalkeeper, saved three penalties in that game: one in overtime and two in the shootout.
England
watt3,L7pen conversion rate: 68.6%
England exited an unexciting seven-game penalty shootout. Choose your pain, from the first – Italy 90 and poor Chris Waddle – to the latest Euro 2020 final. Rare successes include knocking Spain out of Euro 96, the 2018 World Cup against Colombia and a meaningless Nations League play-off against Switzerland. But let’s face it: if you ignore the Nations League, England’s conversion rate drops to 64.4%, which isn’t pretty. Perhaps that’s why Gareth Southgate has eschewed all fit left-backs and added penalty specialists such as Ivan Toney and Cole Palmer to his squad. Is it too late to call Matt Le Tissier? For many reasons: Yes.
Slovakia
watt1,L0pen conversion rate: 100%
Slovakia have yet to experience a penalty shootout in the tournament, but the one they have been through has been through a lot and it went well. Slovakia converted all four penalties to knock out the Republic of Ireland in the Euro 2020 qualifying play-offs. Back in the days of Czechoslovakia (before the Czech Republic and Slovakia were formed in 1993), the 100% conversion rate didn’t change. Czechoslovakia won the penalty shootouts at Euro 76 and Euro 80, scoring 14 penalties and missing none. Perfect.
Spain
watt7,L6pen conversion rate: 71.4%
roller coaster This red They have been eliminated on penalties in four World Cups, including the past two against Russia in 2018 and Morocco in 2022. Cup, both games sealed by Cesc Fabregas-kicks – Spain would go on to win the tournament. Italy is the opponent with the most frequent penalty shootouts: the two teams met 3 times, Spain won 2 times, but Azzurri The most recent came in the Euro 2020 semi-finals.
Georgia
watt1,L0pen conversion rate: 80%
Georgia has only happy penalty kick memories: Their only shootout came in March, which ultimately qualified them for their first major tournament. Georgia made history by hitting four of their five penalties after drawing 0-0 with Greece in the Euro 2024 play-offs. Giorgi Mamardashvili was a hero, saving Greece’s first penalty, while Nika Kvekveskiri had the courage to convert it The winning penalty kick. Cue delirium in Tbilisi.
France
watt3,L5pen conversion rate: 77.5%
France has lost two World Cup finals on penalties, to Italy in 2006 and to Argentina in 2022. blues Euro 2020 was also eliminated on penalties, so we have to go back to the 1998 World Cup to see their last penalty shootout victory over Italy. Zidane was France’s most successful overall contributor: 3-for-3 in the penalty shootout. With Didier Deschamps only picking a 25-man squad for Euro 2024, did he miss an opportunity by not bringing the 52-year-old on as a substitute in the 120th-minute penalty shootout? If France is short of pens again, questions will be raised.
Belgium
watt1,L0pen conversion rate: 100%
Shockingly, Belgium has participated in 14 World Cups and the European Cup for the seventh time, but has only participated in one penalty shootout. At least it was a win as Belgium beat Spain in the 1986 World Cup quarter-finals, scoring five penalties and experienced goalkeeper Jean-Marie Pfaff finishing once. Crucial save. “I knew I only had to stop one penalty because I was sure my teammates would take all the penalties,” Pfaff cheered. Can we gain that confidence and somehow pass it on to the 2024 version of Romelu Lukaku?
Portugal
watt3,L2pen conversion rate: 66.7%
Portugal won their first two penalty shootouts against England (who else?) at Euro 2004 and World Cup 2006, with Ricardo being the hero in the latter with 3 saves. The most heartbreaking was the Euro 2012 semi-final against Spain, when Cristiano Ronaldo was criticized for waiting for a fifth penalty that was never taken. Redemption came four years later when Portugal knocked out Poland to win the European Cup, with Ronaldo wisely converting the first penalty.
slovenia
Slovenia is one of two countries that has never experienced a penalty shootout in the last 16 of this European Cup. To find any kind of historical “status line” we have to go back to the 1990 World Cup, a year before Slovenia became independent, when Yugoslavia participated in the only penalty shootout. In the quarter-finals, they were eliminated by Argentina thanks to two saves from the feared penalty specialist Sergio Goikochea. On a more optimistic/relevant note, Benjamin Sesko hit two penalties in the Euro 2024 qualifiers.
Romania
watt0,L2pen conversion rate: 72.7%
For a talented Romanian team in the early 1990s, World Cup pain was a double whammy. Italy 90 lost to Jack Charlton’s Republic of Ireland in the last 16, while USA 94 was even more heartbreaking. After eliminating Argentina, Romania drew 2-2 with Sweden in the quarter-finals, but Thomas Ravelli made two saves in the penalty shootout and the Romanian team went home. Are there any positive signs? Well, at least the great Gheorghe Hagi – whose son Ianis is in the current squad – scored penalties in both shootouts.
Netherlands
watt2,L6, Pen Conversation rate: 65.8%
Trauma specialist. Since 1992, the Dutch team has eliminated from three World Cups and three European Cups on penalties. The saddest/funniest was Euro 2000 when the Netherlands dominated their semi-final against Italy but missed two penalties in normal time and then four in the shootout ball. The two victories came against Sweden at Euro 2004 and at the 2014 World Cup, when Louis van Gaal sent goalkeeper Tim Krul to help KO Costa Rica. this orange Since then, they have lost two penalty shootouts to Argentina. At least that’s unlikely to happen in 2024.
Austria
In fact, impressively, despite Euro 2024 being Austria’s 11th appearance at a major tournament, they have never been involved in a penalty shootout. That doesn’t mean they’re completely immune to penalties: At Euro 2016, Mor-Alexander Dragovic hit the post with his penalty in a must-win game against Iceland, which ended with Austria winning 2-1. Defeated. Happily, recently, Marko Arnautovic took a penalty kick to help the team defeat Poland 3-1 in this European Cup. Arnautovic has never missed a penalty in seven attempts for his country.
turkey
watt1,L0pen conversion rate: 100%
Maximum efficiency. Turkey took three penalties in the shootout – the bare minimum needed to win – and scored all of them. This game was the quarter-finals of the 2008 European Cup. Against Croatia, Turkey equalized with the last goal of the game. In the ensuing penalty shootout, veteran goalkeeper Rustu Recber made up for Croatia’s lead by saving Mladen Petric’s penalty, sealing the win. Turkey’s semi-final spot. For Türkiye, there are only happy memories of gunfights: if only other countries could say the same.
