Ivan Toney stepped up again on Saturday for England, having played his part in the Three Lions' comeback against Slovakia as a late, late substitute in the last 16 of Euro 2024.
And whether it was Bukayo Saka’s Euro 2020 redemption, Jordan Pickford’s water bottle secrets or the fact that their usual penalty taker Harry Kane had been substituted, the Euro 2024 quarter-final win over Switzerland was perhaps England’s greatest-ever penalty shootout.
After Saka forced extra time with his 80th-minute goal that cancelled out a Breel Embolo opener, England triumphed in the resulting shootout, with all five England players scoring, meaning Pickford’s save from Manuel Akanji was enough to seal the win. And there was a bit of something for everyone in the shootout, not least an eye-catching effort from substitute Toney.
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The Brentford striker replaced Kane on 109 minutes and slotted home his penalty in his customary style, utilising his usual technique that sees him lock eyes on the goalkeeper and not even look down at the ball following his two-step run-up.
This method has served him well during his career so far, as the 28-year-old has scored 30 out of the 32 penalties he has taken outside of shootouts, giving him a 93.75 per cent success rate.
So how does he do it?
Well, Toney has one genius training ground trick that serves him well when he steps up to take a penalty in a match situation.
🗣️ "How can you not even look at the ball?!"Ivan Toney's penalty 👏#BBCEuros #Euro2024 #ENGSUI pic.twitter.com/tf12IdrndXJuly 6, 2024
When Toney practices a penalty he does so from 13 yards, rather than 12, as explained by Bob Jeffrey, a goalkeeping director at Tennessee Soccer Club, where Toney worked out last summer during his nine-month suspension from the game due to breaching FA betting rules.
“It was fascinating to watch,” Jeffrey told The Times back in January. "Because in practice he takes them from 13 yards, not 12 yards.
"I asked him: ‘Ivan, why are you taking them from 13 yards?’ He said, ‘Well, when it comes to a game, and I take them from 12 yards, the goal looks bigger.’
“He was a pleasure to work with, a pleasure to talk to and get to know.
"But the thing that impressed me most was the detail in everything [Toney] did. He never went through the motions. It was like every single shot was to win the World Cup."
With Toney showing this level of preparation and Pickford’s thorough water bottle crib sheet, whatever happens over the next week in Germany, England cannot say they failed to prepare.
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