Manuel Akanji of all people, who played an outstanding European Championship, becomes a tragic Swiss hero with his missed penalty. Jonas Omlin explains Akanji's hesitant attempt in "Heimspiel bei der Nati".
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- For the Nati, the quarter-finals mean the end of the line at the European Championship. Switzerland loses to England on penalties.
- Manuel Akanji is the only miss. Jonas Omlin talks about the defense chief's unusual penalty technique in "Heimspiel bei der Nati".
- Omlin also explains how a goalkeeper prepares for a penalty shoot-out.
As the saying goes: the first penalty is the most important in a penalty shoot-out. It's just a shame if the first penalty is missed straight away. This is what happened to the Swiss national team on Saturday in the European Championship quarter-final against England.
Manuel Akanji approaches the penalty spot with a short run-up and very slow steps, barely putting any pressure behind the ball. England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford stands still for a long time, then decides on the right corner and has no trouble deflecting away the unmarked shot.
It remains the only miss of the evening. Switzerland are out. "Bad shot," said SRF commentator Sascha Ruefer after Akanji's penalty. The whole nation was left wondering about the questionable penalty technique of the otherwise so composed defensive boss.
"Akanji always looks at the goalie"
Jonas Omlin talks about the miss on "Heimspiel bei der Nati" and says: "I know how Manu shoots. He always looks at the goalie. That can also work well, he's already scored a lot of penalties that way - even in training sessions against me. Unfortunately, Pickford jumped into the right corner."
Akanji is not the only one who tries to pick out the goalkeeper. A lot of shooters approach slowly, watch the goalkeeper and only shoot when the keeper moves. "Manu does that a lot too," says the four-time national team goalkeeper, who also knows how goalkeepers can defend themselves: "The goalkeeper can deceive the shooter with a counter-move."
But to make Akanji the scapegoat now would be completely wrong. Apart from this penalty, the defensive boss has played a flawless tournament, says blue Sport editor-in-chief Andreas Böni: "It's perfectly fine for him to be the first to grab the ball. It's just the second time he's missed a penalty - like three years ago against Spain. That's bitter for him."
Backing for Akanji
Nevertheless, Böni is certain that Akanji will recover: "He's not someone who lacks confidence. He's very confident and will come back."
The 28-year-old Man City defender also faced the media after the game and said: "When you're the only one who misses, you feel like you've let everyone down. It hurts and will certainly take a few days to digest."
Omlin is also defending his national team colleague: "Manu has played an outstanding season and was incredible at this European Championship. In a penalty shoot-out, it just hits you, which is extremely bitter for the misser at the moment. But when you look back, you can also say that he played brilliantly."
Pickford's bottle trick
After the game, a photo of Pickford's drinking bottle did the rounds online. The England goalkeeper had notes on it about all the Swiss players, each with an indication of where the player preferred to shoot. The bottle's oracle was spot on, and not just with Akanji ("pike to the left").
Omlin knows how well a goalkeeper prepares for a penalty shoot-out. "Maybe not as extreme as Pickford, but you look at the five or six shooters who have scored in the past. Then you think with the goalkeeping coach about where the shooter is likely to shoot next," explains the Gladbach professional.
And he continues: "You think about it and write it down. But in the end it's just a hint. In the end, as a goalkeeper, you decide spontaneously where to jump." And where would the substituted Harry Kane have shot? Omlin: "Down to the right, normally."
