Phil Foden has now revealed what he told Manuel Akanji, after his Manchester City teammate missed a penalty for Switzerland against England at Euro 2024.
England scraped past Switzerland to reach the semi-finals of the tournament and will now face the Netherlands.
It was another less-than-impressive performance on Saturday from Gareth Southgate’s men, although some credit must be given for getting back into the game after going a goal down.
The Three Lions needed penalties to get past the Swiss, and will have to be much improved against the Dutch if they are to reach the final against either France or Spain.
Phil Foden started once again on Saturday, and he has now given his thoughts about Akanji missing his spot-kick.
Phil Foden reveals what he said to Manuel Akanji after seeing Man City teammate miss penalty against England
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There are always lots of nerves when it comes to penalty shootouts – especially in the knockout stages of major tournaments.
The pressure is immense, so for any player to step up takes a lot of courage.
Akanji was the first player to step up for Switzerland on Saturday in the shootout, after Cole Palmer had dispatched his effort with ease.
The central defender has been imperious in the game, as he had been in the four matches prior, but he came up short from 12 yards. His effort down to Jordan Pickford’s left was fairly tame, making for an easy save for the England number one.
Akanji, sadly, was the only player in the shootout to miss. So it was hard to see him have to go through the emotions after the game. Foden, John Stones and Kyle Walker all consoled him, and now Foden has shared what he said to his City teammate.
He said (via talkSPORT): “Obviously, I spoke to Akanji after the game. Obviously, I felt a little bit sorry for him missing a penalty, but, you know, even the best players in the world miss penalties, so, it’s just one of those things.
“I just said try and not let it get to you too much, keep your head up. Like I said, it happens to the best players in the world. Everyone misses a penalty, so it’s just one of those things.”
A horrible moment for Akanji
It is nice to hear Foden supporting his teammate in what is a really difficult moment.
He was obviously delighted about England advancing to the semi-finals, but it was good to see him then consoling the defender afterwards, and good to hear what he told him.
Foden is right. Anyone can miss from the penalty spot, and it is such a shame Akanji was the only player to do so in the shootout.
There have not been many better players than him out in Germany, and it was a cruel thing to happen to him. And then you read his comments about him feeling as though he let his country down.
Hopefully, Akanji can bounce back from this. He can at least take heart from the fact he had a great tournament and is an absolutely brilliant defender.
