England star Phil Foden has clarified the rumours surrounding his alleged avoidance of a penalty in the quarter-final clash against Switzerland. England emerged victorious from the shootout, winning 5-3 to secure their place in the semi-finals, with all of their players successfully converting their penalties.
Palmer, Bellingham, Saka, and Toni all found the back of the net, with Arnold slotting in the winning penalty.
After the game, Arnold revealed to his family that an England player had refused to take a penalty during the shootout. “He didn’t want to take it.” The comment sparked speculation, with many pointing fingers at Foden as the player who declined, considering he was replaced by Arnold in the last five minutes of extra time.
However, Foden vehemently denied these accusations during an interview with talkSPORT, stating that he would have taken a penalty had he been on the field. “If I had been on the field, I would have taken the penalty, of course,” Foden explained. “But I think it made sense to let the players who take them at their clubs take the penalties.”
“I think Gareth (England manager) did what he felt was right, and he chose the players who are most comfortable taking penalties. It turned out to be the right decision because it worked for us.” Foden added: “To be a penalty taker, you need to be confident, and if you believe you can score, you deserve to step up.”
Foden emphasized that he wouldn’t have shied away from taking a penalty if he was still on the pitch, even though he acknowledged that there were other players who might have been more adept at penalty taking. “I wouldn’t have minded taking the penalty if I was on the field, but there were definitely people who were better at taking penalties than me,” Foden stated.
It’s worth noting that Foden successfully converted his penalty in the Champions League quarter-final shootout between Manchester City and Real Madrid. The 24-year-old has started all five of England’s matches at the 2024 European Championships, although he is yet to score a goal.
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