The last European Championship that did not feature penalty shootout heartbreak/ecstasy was 1988, which had eight teams and only three knockout games. So it’s almost certain that at least one country will exit Euro 2024 on pens in the coming weeks. But of the sides in the last 16, which have the most reason for fear – or confidence – based on their past shootout record? And is there really a nation with a worse record than England? Answer: yes. Sort of.
Switzerland
Won 1, Lost 4, pen conversion rate: 65.2%
Switzerland produced a memorable shootout triumph against France at Euro 2020, Yann Sommer saving Kylian Mbappé’s spot-kick to send the favourites crashing out. It’s good the Swiss have one to hang their feathered hat won, because their record outside of that is dire. They departed the 2006 World Cup, Euro 2016 and Euro 2020 on pens. They even lost a shootout against England, albeit it was the 2019 Nations League third-place playoff, which nobody really cared about.
Italy
W6, L7, pen conversion rate: 70.8%
Predictably for a country that specialises in tight games, Italy have been involved in plenty of shootout drama. Acute agonies include going out of a home World Cup to Argentina in 1990, then defeat by Brazil in the final four years later, a half-fit Roberto Baggio blazing over the crossbar. There’s also been joy, notably the 2006 World Cup final against France and the last Euros final against England, with Gianluigi Donnarumma the hero. A mixed bag, but it always ends in the same style: Italian men in floods of tears on the pitch.
Germany
W6, L1, pen conversion rate: 86.5%
West Germany lost the first major international final decided on penalties: Euro 76 to Czechoslovakia when Antonin Panenka made a name for himself by audaciously chipping the decisive kick. The Germans disliked the experience so much that they decided never to lose another, winning four World Cup and two Euros shootouts, seeing off France, Mexico, England (twice), Argentina and most recently Italy. Across seven shootouts, only five Germany players have missed from the spot. Efficient.
Denmark
W2, L3, pen conversion rate: 76%
Denmark lost a semi-final shootout to Spain at Euro 84 but made up for it eight years later. Peter Schmeichel saved a Marco van Basten spot-kick to help beat the Netherlands on penalties and book a place in the Euro 92 final, which Denmark won. Their most recent shootout memory is a painful one however, Croatia knocking the Danes out of the 2018 World Cup. The silver lining? Kasper Schmeichel, still the keeper now, saved three penalties in that contest: one in extra time and two in the shootout.
England
W3, L7, pen conversion rate: 68.6%
A non-magnificent seven shootout tournament exits for England. Choose your pain from the first – Italia 90 and poor Chris Waddle – to the latest at the Euro 2020 final. Rare successes include knocking Spain out of Euro 96, versus Colombia at the 2018 World Cup and against Switzerland in a pointless Nations League playoff. But let’s face it: it’s not pretty, England’s conversion rate dipping to 64.4% if the Nations League is ignored. Perhaps that’s why Gareth Southgate avoided all fit left-backs and filled his squad with spot-kick specialists such as Ivan Toney and Cole Palmer. Too late to call up Matt Le Tissier? For a myriad of reasons: yes.
Slovakia
W1, L0, pen conversion rate: 100%
Slovakia are yet to endure a tournament shootout, but the one they have participated in had plenty riding on it and went swimmingly well. Slovakia eliminated the Republic of Ireland in a qualification playoff for Euro 2020, scoring all four of their penalties. Go back to the era of Czechoslovakia (before the Czech Republic and Slovakia came into being in 1993), the 100% conversion rate does not change. Czechoslovakia won shootouts at Euro 76 and Euro 80, scoring 14 penalties and missing none. Perfection.
Spain
W7, L6, pen conversion rate: 71.4%
A rollercoaster for La Roja who’ve crashed out of four World Cups on penalties, including the past two against Russia in 2018, then Morocco in 2022. But they’ve also won some vital showdowns, including at Euro 2008 and Euro 2012 – both sealed by Cesc Fàbregas spot-kicks – tournaments Spain would go on to win. Italy are the most frequent shootout adversaries: the teams have met three times, Spain winning twice but the Azzurri claiming the most recent in the Euro 2020 semi-final.
Georgia
W1, L0, pen conversion rate: 80%
Georgia have just joyous shootout memories: their only one was in March and it finished with them qualifying for a first major tournament. After a 0-0 draw with Greece in a playoff to reach Euro 2024, Georgia scored four of five penalties to create history. Giorgi Mamardashvili was one hero, saving Greece’s first spot-kick, and Nika Kvekveskiri held his nerve to convert the winning penalty. Cue delirium in Tbilisi.
France
W3, L5, pen conversion rate: 77.5%
France have lost two World Cup finals on penalties, against Italy in 2006 and Argentina in 2022. Ouch. Les Bleus also went out of Euro 2020 on pens, so we have to go back to the 1998 World Cup to find their last shootout triumph, against Italy. Zinedine Zidane is France’s most successful overall contributor: three from three in shootouts. With Didier Deschamps only picking a 25-man squad for Euro 2024, did he miss a trick by not taking the 52-year-old as a 120th-minute shootout impact sub? If France go out on pens again, questions will be asked.
Belgium
W1, L0, pen conversion rate: 100%
Shockingly Belgium – who have been to 14 World Cups and are in their seventh Euros – have contested only one shootout. At least it was a triumph, Belgium upsetting Spain in the quarter-finals of the 1986 World Cup, scoring five penalties while the veteran keeper Jean-Marie Pfaff pulled off a vital save. “I knew I only had to stop one penalty, because I was sure my teammates would make them all,” Pfaff crowed. Can we get that level of confidence and somehow transmit it to the 2024 version of Romelu Lukaku?
Portugal
W3, L2, pen conversion rate: 66.7%
Portugal won their first two shootouts against (who else?) England at Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup, Ricardo the hero with three saves in the latter. The biggest heartbreak came against Spain in the Euro 2012 semi-finals, when Cristiano Ronaldo was criticised for waiting to take a fifth penalty that never came. Redemption arrived four years later when Portugal knocked out Poland on their way to winning the Euros, Ronaldo sensibly tucking away the first penalty.
Slovenia
Slovenia are one of two countries in the last 16 of this Euros who have never endured a penalty shootout. To find any type of historical “form line” we have to go back to the 1990 World Cup, a year before Slovenian independence, when Yugoslavia took part in their sole shootout. They were undone by Argentina in the quarter-finals after two saves from the feared penalty specialist Sergio Goycochea. On a more optimistic/relevant note, Benjamin Sesko scored two penalties from two during Euro 2024 qualifying.
Romania
W0, L2, pen conversion rate: 72.7%
A double whammy of World Cup agony for the talented Romania side of the early 1990s. Italia 90 ended in a last-16 defeat by Jack Charlton’s Republic of Ireland, while USA 94 was even more gut-wrenching. After knocking out Argentina, Romania drew 2-2 with Sweden in the quarter-finals, but two Thomas Ravelli saves in the shootout sent Romania home. Any positive omens? Well, at least the great Gheorghe Hagi – whose son, Ianis, is in the current squad – scored his spot-kicks in the two shootouts.
Netherlands
W2, L6, pen conversation rate: 65.8%
Specialists in trauma. Since 1992, the Dutch have departed three World Cups and three Euros on penalties. The most harrowing/hilarious came in Euro 2000, when the Netherlands dominated a semi-final against Italy but contrived to miss two penalties in normal time, then three from four in the shootout. The two triumphs came in Euro 2004 against Sweden, then the 2014 World Cup when Louis van Gaal brought on keeper Tim Krul to help KO Costa Rica. The Oranje have lost two shootouts since, both to Argentina. At least that cannot happen in 2024.
Austria
Actually quite impressive that Austria have never competed in a shootout, despite Euro 2024 marking their 11th major tournament appearance. That doesn’t mean they’re completely without penalty woes: at Euro 2016, MoreAleksandar Dragovic hit a post from the spot in a must-win game against Iceland, Austria eventually losing 2-1. Happily and more recently, Marko Arnautovic scored from the spot at this Euros to secure a 3-1 win over Poland. Arnautovic has never missed a penalty for his country in seven attempts.
Turkey
W1, L0, pen conversion rate: 100%
Maximum efficiency. Turkey have taken three shootout penalties – the minimum required for victory – and scored them all. The match was a Euro 2008 quarter-final against Croatia, Turkey equalising with the last kick of the game. In the ensuing shootout, veteran keeper Rustu Recber made up for an error which had given Croatia the lead by saving Mladen Petric’s penalty to seal Turkey’s semi-final spot. Only blissful shootout memories for Turkey: if only every other country could say the same.
