World Cup’s 101 Most Memorable Moments: England start penalty woes

By Doug McIntyre
FOX Sports Soccer Writer

Editor’s note: Each day between now and the kickoff of the first match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup on Nov. 20, we’ll unveil a different memory from World Cup history. The countdown from 101 continues with England’s disastrous penalty shootout vs. West Germany.

England’s futility in penalty shootouts — the Three Lions lost their first three World Cup tiebreakers and are 1-3 on penalties at the European Championship — is a punchline these days. 

But back in 1990, England fans had every reason to believe their team would spot-kick its way past old enemy West Germany and into the World Cup final for the first time since winning it all 24 years earlier. Bobby Robson’s team had been the better one for much of the game despite falling behind on the hour mark, so when Gary Lineker equalized in the 80th minute to send the game to extra time, the momentum was on the English side. 

Then Stuart Pearce and Chris Waddle failed to convert from 12 yards, and the Germans went on to win the World Cup for the third time. It was a crushing psychological blow, apparently; the Lions shootout misery repeated itself again and again through the years afterward. England did finally win its first World Cup match on penalties almost three decades later, though, beating Colombia in the quarters in 2018.

One of the leading soccer journalists in North America, Doug McIntyre has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams at multiple FIFA World Cups. Before joining FOX Sports in 2021, he was a staff writer with ESPN and Yahoo Sports. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.