Wolvaardt: SA 'pretty Close' To Nailing Best XI For T20 World Cup
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)
380385ee0722c49a79399c9f76756a86 1b5faa19087a508ae4f08cdacfaecc3f 2487e60eded24a119ea5fb286645d253 BASIC COOKING SKILLS SLIDES Online Cooking Classes ?resize=1024Training Kitchen Page Banner Maxresdefault Life Skills Cooking 1024x683 Event Carousel Curriculum Cooking Challenge 4ca8adf921179788ab65913e5f641cca Is Cooking Considered A Life Skill 1 Cooking Life Skills Unit Square Photo Cover 1 600x600 Maxresdefault How To Improve Your Cooking Skills1 Zjyummjhm3q5ulmzbge6 5e9fce26d95ef253cd48d38dfacde430 ?media Id=100068634920513Best Online Healthy Cooking Classes.webpCookingandlifeskills1 A0a9da93399d4bf28420adc44ba228d8 1 EHP 20210305 08972 (1) Basic Day 1 98f7cd C896ff904dda4b0c8fe5e1158a1e5487~mv2 D 6000 4000 S 4 2 Sc Life Skills Cooking ?width=1200&height=630&rnd=132283102712900000Cover 1 ?impolicy=Medium Widthonly&w=710&h=467Best Online Cooking Classes 1 1 ?quality=75&strip=all&w=1024032479i06 032479i04 Screenshot 2022 03 25 2.00.08 PM 032479i03 How Learning To Cook Can Save Your Life 768x432 032479i02 2906bfdd 9047 484a 9a80 9b8edc901a8f Xlarge Img 20230823161454 Top Reasons Why Cooking Is A Life Skill Everyone Should Learn