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"The Whole 12 Yards" (Page 2)
“More important, in the case of the Germans, is their cultural belief that they are good penalty takers. It cannot be underestimated how powerful this can be when it comes to performance. It not only has a positive effect on the Germans, but it also has a negative effect on their opponents.”
Seventeen years ago, when penalties were used to separate England and West Germany in the World Cup Semi-Final in Turin, England hadn’t even been awarded a spot-kick in the four years before the tournament.
“As soon as we qualified for the knockout stages we practiced penalties every day,” explained coach Franz Beckenbauer. “That is probably why we were so confident.” Gary Lineker, Peter Beardsley and David Platt all scored for England. Then Chris Waddle stepped up.
“I’ll probably never be allowed to forget my miss,” rued Waddle, who returned to his club Marseille to be greeted by new coach Beckenbauer with the words: “My favourite player.”
Olaf Thon put Germany ahead before Stuart Pearce missed England’s crucial fifth. “I knew it was something I’d have to live with,” he admitted. “But it made me a better player. It’s how you react to the bad times that shapes your character.”
Quite. Perhaps it was Germany’s defeat in 1976 that shaped their character for the next 30 years. Played five, won five. Thank goodness tonight’s game is only a friendly.
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