Declan Rice has expressed strong confidence in England’s penalty-taking capabilities ahead of their last-32 World Cup match against DR Congo in Atlanta. The Arsenal midfielder highlighted what he described as England’s best-ever group of penalty takers, naming teammates Harry Kane, Ivan Toney, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Gordon, Bukayo Saka, and Jude Bellingham among those capable of stepping up if matches are decided by shootouts.
Rice emphasized the importance of being prepared for penalties, noting that success in shootouts is often crucial for advancing to later stages or winning the tournament. “I look at this group now, I don’t think there’s a better crop of penalty takers that England have probably ever had,” he said. “We have strong takers, and as the tournament goes on you hear the stat about you have to win a penalty shoot-out to get to a final or to win the tournament – so we’re going to be fully prepared for that.”
England’s history in penalty shootouts has included several high-profile disappointments, with defeats in knockout rounds against Germany at Italia 90 and Euro 96, losses to Argentina in the 1998 World Cup, Italy at Euro 2012, and Portugal in the 2004 European Championship and 2006 World Cup quarter-finals. Rice himself experienced the pain of losing a shootout in the Euro 2021 final against Italy at Wembley.
Despite past setbacks, England’s recent shootout form includes a victory against Switzerland in the quarter-finals of the last European Championship. Statistics underline the strength of the current group: captain Harry Kane has converted 110 out of 123 penalties for club and country, Ivan Toney has scored 67 from 73, Marcus Rashford has netted 21 from 24, Bukayo Saka 19 from 22, Anthony Gordon 17 from 18, and Jude Bellingham five from six. Rice has also been reliable, scoring five out of seven penalties, including one in the Champions League final shootout against Paris Saint-Germain in May.
Rice credited England manager Thomas Tuchel with managing the squad’s nerves and maintaining composure under pressure. Tuchel described the early knockout rounds as highly competitive with narrow margins deciding outcomes, citing recent eliminations of Germany and Holland on penalties and late winners by other teams. He emphasized the challenge of breaking down defenses in knockout football and the necessity for players to remain calm and make the most of tight situations.
With England poised to face the prospect of a tense penalty shootout if their match against DR Congo remains deadlocked after extra time, Rice’s confidence and preparation efforts aim to bolster the team’s chances of progressing further in the tournament.