Ashley Cole: My Euro 2012 penalty miss hurt more after scoring in Champions League final

Ashley Cole has opened up on the pain of missing a decisive penalty for England during their Euro 2012 quarter-final shootout defeat to Italy, revealing the disappointment was made worse by the fact he had scored in a Champions League final shootout only weeks before.

England and Italy had played out 120 goalless minutes in Kyiv before the tie went to spot-kicks, with the Three Lions once again unable to end their long wait for a major international trophy. Cole’s miss continued a dismal record in shootouts for the national side, who had lost their previous four.

A cruel contrast to Moscow glory

Speaking to FourFourTwo, Cole explained that the sting of his England miss was sharpened by memories of a very different outcome just weeks earlier. In Moscow, Chelsea had won their first-ever Champions League title by beating Bayern Munich on penalties, with Cole among those who converted from the spot for the Blues.

“I was disappointed because two or three weeks beforehand, I’d scored in the shootout against Bayern Munich in the Champions League final,” Cole told FourFourTwo, reflecting on how the Euro 2012 miss affected him.

The Italy shootout is also remembered for Andrea Pirlo’s audacious Panenka penalty, which helped set the Azzurri on their way to victory over England in Ukraine. The result meant Italy progressed to the semi-finals, while England were sent home once again after failing from twelve yards.

England’s shootout hoodoo

The defeat in Kyiv extended a painful pattern for the Three Lions, who had by that point lost four consecutive major tournament shootouts. Cole’s miss added his name to a list of England players whose penalty heartbreak has become part of the national side’s tournament folklore.

Despite the setback, Cole went on to win 107 caps for England across a distinguished international career, though the Euro 2012 exit remains one of the lower points of his time with the national team.

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