England reduced to tears again after return of the penalty jinx

June 21, 2007

Matt Hughes in Heerenveen

With the senior team having won only one of six penalty shoot-outs, England fans have become used to suffering heartache from the spot, but nothing could have prepared them for the astonishing manner of the under-21 team’s elimination from the European Championship last night. Anton Ferdinand missed the crucial kick to give Holland an amazing 13-12 victory on a remarkable night, during which 32 penalties were taken — and only seven missed — in a shoot-out that lasted almost half an hour.

Stuart Pearce was involved in two of England’s previous disappointments as a player, but he hailed yesterday’s defeat as his most satisfying night as a player or manager. “It’s my proudest moment of achievement in football,” Pearce said. “If people tell me these players haven’t got something out of this tournament — a great game against Italy, a tough match against Serbia and then these penalties — then they won’t learn from anything.

“It’s prudent to congratulate the Dutch as the home nation. Any team that puts that effort in deserves to win.”

An intriguing semi-final finished 1-1 after extra time and, having had his fingers burnt in the past, Pearce made sure that his players were thoroughly prepared for the ensuing shoot-out. He was rewarded with a series of excellent penalties as the drama unfolded. Ashley Young, James Milner and Mark Noble scored twice, with only Justin Hoyte, Nigel Reo-Coker, Matt Derbyshire and Ferdinand failing, but Holland were more clinical as Gianni Zuiverloon scored the 32nd to take them to the final on Saturday, where they will face Serbia.

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“For weeks we’ve been practising penalties,” Pearce said.

“We studied the players, put a presentation together showing the best way to take them. We did our homework and had a list of one to 19, so they knew exactly what they were doing.

“The penalties I’ve been in have only gone to four or five, so it’s a step in the right direction. We thought that, within reason, we got it right.”

Pearce exuded dignity in defeat, refusing to complain about Foppe de Haan, his opposite number, running on to the pitch to make Steven Taylor take a penalty when injured, and joking about the fact that Boy Waterman, the Holland goalkeeper, was frequently off his line. “We smelt a rat when he ran past Hoyte and Justin hadn’t kicked the ball,” Pearce said, “but credit to him as he got a hand on a couple.

“When their coach raised the point he thought I was going to complain, but I agreed with him. The rules are that all players who finish the match have to take penalties.”

Steve McClaren, the senior team’s head coach, and Brian Barwick, the Football Association chief executive, visited the England dressing-room to console the players, with Barwick likely to speak to Pearce about taking the under-21 job full time. “It’s been a proud time and whoever gets the job there’s a nucleus of players to take us on,” Pearce said. “They’re crestfallen as they have given their lot, emotionally and physically.

“The one thing it does is form a bond, which I have with the likes of [Tony] Adams, [Paul] Gascoigne and [Terry] Butcher. They’ve sweated blood for the country. It wasn’t quite good enough, but you’re talking about small margins.”