Kansas City Royals Twitter 2024-07-02 Kansas City Royals Twitter - Last update images today Kansas City Royals Twitter Silva: Euro '24 QF Not Just Ronaldo Vs. Mbappé 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) Usatsi 18895900 Fge NvVXoAAYPrl Large Kansas City Royals Powder Blue Pants 2023 Sportslogosnet Dcbe84a8d7ebf85a440faa9783d1958a Lossy 1.webp Nick Loftin Getty 1247868474.0 DYWtolMVwAAnx6c Large Medium FPxb19iXEAYwQuF Large FEkagXDXoAIAETr C7kN8GtU8AECRAP Large ECswE68X4AY6RN8 Large FdBiY5uWQAEEUna Large E6OE42rX0AMY3W8 Large FN68hiCUYAUq08B Large C7QkkM3UwAAM1nj Large Mbazl JO3EuXK3ij Large Kansas City Royals 0 FY25KDmXkAETOOT Large EzBR 0XAAUK U1 Large 1227846683 E6NGx6sWYAMIR7I Large 171c34f6d2fe66f88336dc2898f28f47 Royals In The Dugout Photo By William Purnell Icon Sportswire Via Getty Images A08JcUlVT0yY 7bx Large 1162472727 850x560 Usa Today 19129678.0 GettyImages 1241787286.ed8c3392 Featured 750 11 E7HEf1pWQAAH79P Large FNmYqB0XoAgJ2ys Large 1157622241 H6zs2bl36pn2ndce8jjv BnxNjYyCMAAzCeh Large