Chance For India To Sweep Multi-format Series Against South Africa
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)
44392d6f5d2b352b058ea9b1d42fc54f 2 Common Interior Design Mistakes 768x512 F65f4c3bbaf729eaad3c812e5a1ce2ef 93fba2cbcb7c67cd6234251d65f346a3 C6040ea97d6aa4b633cf7ce033a9d878 Max 0 .webp?resize=500%2C281&ssl=1B5b4ee29f0f3474f80372adeaaf3457e C3b013f23b2015b248eb6528ee6d6ffa C1a36683dcb47b1187e7e29683966b8a Maxresdefault Interior Trends No Longer Popular In 2024 Juliettes Interiors Homebuilding Renovating 1 Image008 Original 3442 1703026727 2 ?crop=1244 651;0,89 Downsize=1250 *9ab491db89857a707df0d395b47903bc Slide 16 Too Much Black ?width=7449f887d82e90e8123e96f64ace47954e7 Bfb83846d9837a15b02f31eb50b610f9 1cfee2d05083e6ee773883c14d456b57 Cb595719c6714e9cc6beb8cbc66524d0 2778eefb3fc131fdc7632bd2f1423eb6 7ff930cd68998ce4accdf234074d65d8 312335f25f54d1b8e9b04d39198490c8 2a76c58d315371309a395e6a7de1a257 1839ed77766b558d8b6f8d723fbc4a51 76cb42df8e77713eabc0d75f4ebb21a4 353d09e017b6ed6aeaf2c68b4c741b4c Ccd3414a435abff7523871d71dec8d71 Ceilings Wrong Rug 1536x1536 147740a24fb6d54b19ad9c935d61a699 8a0673b4e1658802fe8432b7580bda16 A501fc4ef084bea374fe9db2f0113cba Bfbcbf9825eed10444064e1783d1f26e Bad5b0161a78f9e9e1a6e232a2bf0840 Maxresdefault
Chance For India To Sweep Multi-format Series Against South Africa
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)
