Yamal On Youthful Tag: 'We Don't Listen To Anyone'
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)
E54a90 20180514 Jerusalem Map 455ac7194feb654caf2a202428e7c4f9 Plan Quartier Jerusalem Stock Photo Blue Pill On A Map Of Jerusalem Israel 1741397003 Mappa Del Quartiere Di Gerusalemme WebRNS EASTER PHOTOS9 041317 03 Ezra Jerusalem Gates Copyright Stephen M Miller Casual English Bible Ver 3 1000 Px ?v=1684362731Split Jerusalem Map English 0103b92ee84cc9232539d9b8c9cab1b4 Map 10th Edition Jerusalem Encyclopaedia Britannica Il Fullxfull.4444559313 Px82 Grl Crd Jerusalem Map With Icon Ministry Of Tourism E979cabd33f28ae8d160aa5df837ebd1 Jerusalem In Jesus Time Map 1 Map Of Modern Jerusalem Circa 1910 FB9GWK Jerusalem Jewish Quarter Map Jer Final Page 12 1200x859 Jerusalem Map Quarters 900 Jerusalem Jerusalem Location Map Dac Issue Jerusalem 7 614x1024 Jerusalem Detailed Map English 2008 Jerusalem Downtown Map Israel Map Jerusalem Big