The Kylian Mbappe penalty miss against Switzerland at UEFA Euro 2020 has been the talking point of the footballing world in the past 24 hours. But that wasn’t the first time a big player has missed a crucial spot-kick at the Euros, and it won’t be the last.
The competition, in its 61-year-long history, has been defined by penalty misses and those moments have even gone on to shape the careers of the players involved in the respective games. Here, we see 5 of the biggest penalty misses (or penalty saves) in the history of Euros.
5. Kylian Mbappe – penalty miss vs Switzerland (UEFA Euro 2020)
It is a bit unfair to Yann Sommer if we call it a penalty miss. The Swiss goalkeeper put a strong right hand to deny the Frenchman and take his team to the quarter-finals. France had scored 3 goals after going 1-0 down in regular time.
But Schweizer Nati persisted and scored 2 goals in the last 10 minutes of the game to take it into extra time. The match then went to penalties, and the first 9 spot-kicks were scored. Up stepped Mbappe to take France’s 5th. Failure to score meant elimination, and unfortunately for the Frenchman, that turned out to be the case. (Match Report)
4. Bruno Alves – penalty miss vs Spain (UEFA Euro 2012)
Portugal and Spain went head to head in one of the biggest matches of our era during the Euros in 2012. The two footballing giants collided in the semi-final of the competition, with Spain on the back of a World Cup victory and Portugal boasting of Cristiano Ronaldo at the peak of his powers.
The match finished 0-0 after extra time and went to penalties. The 2004 Euro finalists saved their best for the last – with Ronaldo nominated as their 5th penalty kick taker. But it didn’t even come to that, as Bruno Alves, their centre back, hit the bar with a thundering shot. (Video – Match Report)
Cesc Fabregas then slotted his kick to hand Spain the win and take them to the final, which they won vs Italy by a 4-0 scoreline. The shootout saw Joao Moutinho miss Portugal’s first spot-kick, which did not make life easier for Alves.
3. Marco van Basten – miss vs Denmark (UEFA Euro 1992)
It’s not every day that Marco van Basten missed penalties. Hailed by many as the greatest No.9 to grace the green grass, Van Basten was known for his superb finishing and was Netherlands’ talisman during his heyday. The 1988 European champions came up against Denmark in the semi-final of the 1992 edition.
With the game at 2-2, it went to penalties. Just one player missed in the shootout, and that was Van Basten. His penalty was hit to the goalkeeper’s left and Kasper Schmeichel dove down low to save it. The Netherlands scored their next 3 penalties but it was to no avail as Denmark didn’t miss any of theirs. The Danes then beat Germany 2-0 in the final. (Match Report)
2. Uli Hoeness – miss vs Czechoslovakia (UEFA Euro 1976)
It seems there can be no talk about the Euros without the mention of Antonin Panenka. The Czechoslovakian mastermind chipped his spot-kick in the final of the 1976 Euro shootout to popularize a new form of taking penalty kicks and handed his nation the Henri Delaunay trophy.
But the opportunity for Panenka was handed by Uli Hoeness of West Germany. A potent forward in his peak and now a board member at Bayern Munich, Hoeness missed Germany’s last kick of the shootout to hand Panenka the perfect stage to create history with his outrageous penalty. (Video – Match Report)
1. Gareth Southgate – penalty miss vs Germany (Euro 1996)
England’s cursed luck with spot-kicks in big international games is no secret. While this miss from their current manager Gareth Southgate came in the semi-final of the 1996 Euros, it was perhaps one of the biggest penalty misses in the history of the nation that popularized the sport and has been begging for international glory since 1966.
England took on the Germans in the semi-final of the 1996 Euros with their in-form Alan Shearer firing them in front after just 3 minutes. Germany equalized in the 16th minute and the game stayed that way until the commencement of the penalty shootouts. (Match Report)
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The first 10 spot-kicks were scored as the shootout entered sudden-death. Up stepped England defender, Southgate. His low spot-kick to the goalkeeper’s right was saved by Andreas Kopke. Andreas Moller then hit the game-winning kick to eliminate the hosts and send his team into the final, which they won via golden goal.
