EBERECHI EZE is ready to take a penalty for England at the World Cup despite his Champions League final heartache – and he is refusing to change his spot-kick style.
The Arsenal midfielder, along with team-mate Gabriel Magalhaes, missed from the spot in the shoot-out loss to PSG and was criticised for his stuttered run-up.
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Eze was left heartbroken after missing a penalty in the Champions League final for his boyhood club Credit: Getty
Asked if he will take a penalty here at the World Cup, which begins for England against Croatia on Wednesday, Eze said: “If called upon, for sure. Why wouldn’t I take it?”
And quizzed whether he would change his style and do a more conventional run-up, Eze added: “No, I think I have taken penalties for a long time and it’s part of the journey.
“You have to continue to improve, find new ways to improve. I’m not going to stress too much about it because I know I’m in this position for a reason.”
Looking back on his penalty, which he steered wide in Budapest, said: “You have to try to accept everything as it is, to enjoy it as much as you can.
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“Playing in a Champions League final is where I want to be, it’s what I want to do.
“We’ll go for it again next season and if there is a penalty to take then, I’ll be there again.
“All the big players have missed big penalties, have experienced these type of moments.
“For me, it’s not something I wish never happened. I’m grateful it happened. I’m going to grow from it, learn from it and move forward.”
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Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka, who both missed from the spot in the Euro 2020 final against Italy, also spoke with Eze. Jordan Henderson also missed a penalty against Colombia in the 2018 World Cup.
Eze added: “Honestly, before even speaking to them, you can see the way big players carry themselves. You step up, you do what you need to do. If you miss, you miss. If you score, you score. It’s having the mentality to keep going. That’s part of the journey.”
