Ahead of the Euro 2024 knockout stages, the perfect formula to help England win a penalty shootout has been revealed, thanks to new research. The study, conducted by Bonuscodebets.co.
uk , analysed all England penalty shootouts throughout history, and reveals that Gareth Southgate should opt for right-footed takers, urge his players to avoid aiming for the bottom right corner and – thankfully for the Three Lions boss – have Jordan Pickford in goal. In those deciding moments, England have missed 16 of their 51 penalties (31%) – with 12 being saved, two hitting the woodwork and two going over the bar. So, the study aims to provide Southgate’s side the best chances of winning a shootout, statistically speaking.
While considered a higher risk strategy, hitting the ball in the top corner is actually the most likely way to score a penalty, with all nine of England’s spot kicks aimed at the top left/right having beaten the opposition keeper – just as long as they don’t blaze the ball over the bar like David Beckham at EURO 2004. And, when it comes to areas of the goal to avoid, Harry Kane and co should steer well clear of the bottom right corner. From the 16 penalties England have missed in shootouts, 50% of those have been aimed in that direction.
In fact, only three England spot kicks out of 11 aimed to the bottom right have gone in – giving that shot type a success percentage of just 27%. On the other hand, Three Lions stars are more likely to score from 12 yards i.
