England Scrape Through Bizarre Penalty Shootout
England’s penalty shootout against Sweden was a shambles. Let’s be honest, it was a circus. The lads got the job done, but it was far from convincing. The effort was there, but the execution was all over the place.
First off, the finishing was dreadful. Some of those penalties were so poorly taken, you’d think they were trying to miss. It’s basic stuff—pick your spot, hit it with conviction. Instead, we saw weak attempts and indecision. If you can’t handle the pressure, you shouldn’t be stepping up.
Defensively, England were shaky. They let Sweden hang around far too long. The mentality wasn’t right. You need to kill the game off before it gets to penalties. The backline needs to be more solid, more ruthless.
The mentality in the shootout was questionable. You need to be ice-cold, but some of the lads looked like they were about to crumble. Credit to those who kept their nerve, but it shouldn’t have come to this.
In the end, England got lucky. They need to sort themselves out if they want to go further. This kind of performance won’t cut it against tougher opposition. It’s time to step up, show some grit, and play like they mean it.