Phil Foden has responded to the claim that he did not want to take a penalty during England's shootout win over Switzerland at Euro 2024.
Gareth Southgate’s men secured their place in the semi-final of Euro 2024, netting all their spot kicks to dispatch Switzerland 5-3 on penalties, after playing out a 1-1 draw.
Cole Palmer, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka and Ivan Toney scored from the spot before Trent Alexander-Arnold emphatically buried the decisive penalty.
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After the game, Alexander-Arnold was heard telling his family that one England star didn’t want to take a penalty, which has led to speculation over which player may have shirked the responsibility.
Foden, who Alexander-Arnold replaced with just five minutes of extra time remaining, was among those thought to have avoided taking a penalty.
However, the Manchester City star insisted he would have stepped up had he still been on the pitch.
Foden told talkSPORT: “I would have taken one if I was still on the pitch but I think there’s players who take them regularly for their clubs so it makes sense for them to take them.
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“I think that’s what Gareth did, put the best penalty-takers on the pitch. I’m glad he did that now because it definitely worked in our favour.
“I feel like it’s a confidence thing, if you believe you’re going to score you can definitely be a penalty-taker.
“Like I said, I wouldn’t have minded taking one if I was still on the pitch but there’s probably better penalty-takers than me.”
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Foden scored a penalty in the shootout as Manchester City lost to Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of last season’s Champions League.
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Topics: England, Euro 2024, Phil Foden, Switzerland, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Gareth Southgate
Chris Byfield