San Francisco Zoo 2024-07-05 San Francisco Zoo - Last update images today San Francisco Zoo Jays SS Bichette Scratched With Forearm Bruise By Fernando Kallas STUTTGART, Germany, July 4 (Reuters) - Mental preparation and plenty of practice are the most important factors in taking a penalty, Germany midfielder Ilkay Gundogan said as his team gear up for Friday's Euro 2024 quarter-final clash against Spain. Both teams are heavy favourites and have provided some of the best football in the tournament so far and their clash could come down to a penalty shootout. Gundogan, 33, said on Thursday that the pressure of taking a penalty is not something that can be replicated in training, but that it's still important to be mentally prepared. "The key word for me is routine. When you step on to take a penalty, the pressure that exists in a game it's just different than it was in training and obviously to replicate is very, very difficult. I don't believe that you can replicate it in training," Gundogan told a press conference. "You can train your routine. You can train how you want to approach a penalty. Your breathing, how you get calm... The most crucial thing is to get calm, how to get your heartbeat down. "Just try to be cool and enjoy the moment of taking a penalty. Which is the most difficult thing because, otherwise anyone would score a penalty." Gundogan is one of Germany's most experienced players and has taken almost 20 penalties in a successful career between clubs like Borussia Dortmund and Manchester City. However, he believed anyone who stepped up to take a spot kick should be lauded for their bravery and that even some of the game's greatest players do not always score. "Even the best takers in the world miss," Gundogan said. "I automatically think about someone like Harry Kane who has a finishing that is unbelievable but I also remember him missing quite a few penalties. "So it’s just the circumstances at the end of the day. I missed a lot of penalties in my career so far as well. At the end of the day you just try your best. Sometimes it gets rewarded and you can do it in a better way and sometimes not. "I think to have the guts to step on, to take a penalty in crucial moments, to show respect for it, even when you miss because it is a situation that is extraordinary and it is very difficult to deal with." (Reporting by Fernando Kallas Editing by Christian Radnedge) SFZMap051922 01 9d6390f8 1141 4b04 B8f4 D25d5b15edcd Latest?cb=20111127223607 AbouttheZoo 8904722 F520 Playground Sf Zoo Tree Structure SFzoo 563x294 San Francisco Zoo 650x450 San Francisco Zoo ?resize=950%2C534&ssl=1 Shutterstock 1716047191 11122408610 ?width=984 A3 Maxresdefault Maxresdefault Denver Zoo Map Sf%2Bzoo%2Bsign 146 591518252 CP5dzI8ERYWS0 BEvYNXN0lAM3SYz1KjYgU2T6R7rQ Hqdefault O 1521614515t GettyImages 78662983 1 208ac450 8eb2 4a79 8a6e 2616f2fff898 1673723064684 221d5194946c096690467aa7a50139d8 Gettyimages 922610714 594x594 1 Craig Pattenaude RWF9aPvO6j4 Unsplash 1 Screenshot 2020 07 16 At 2.57.46 AM 32f4df62 A157 11ec 9d13 Be0c4deb30e2 782045 W1e93acOrndjguy6GewMmi9dYcr5me9TT79yjhUmTSI 45628645 F Gp6KyUW0jZtASx1QZfJQYz3t F7hRUDBY0HYZSL4 70180328 V2AvGaIyODOoFfU ZsFQy6fMlThfanuDi8vYR02csFg 782045 Rvqn9gVOS2Np FuPlcpBxU2aPakjDS84JrY6Un 7Mw4 Img 20200801 111354 Largejpg ?w=200&h=200&s=1 San Francisco Zoo ?w=200&h=200&s=1