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Say the words ‘penalty shootout’ to an England fan of a certain age, and the reaction is often one of pure anxiety and dread.

For an entire generation of Three Lions supporters, the painful spot-kick losses in 1990, 1996, 1998, 2004, 2006, and 2012 created a collective fear that a draw after 120 minutes would inevitably mean elimination.

That narrative finally changed in 2018 when England defeated Colombia in the World Cup Round of 16 in Russia. Since then, Gareth Southgate’s men have triumphed in two of their next three shootouts, showing a remarkable shift in mentality.

Joe Cole and Ashley Cole were both part of the starting XI in the 2006 World Cup quarter-final against Portugal, which ended in another heartbreaking penalty shootout loss. The duo had also faced the same fate two years earlier against the same opponents in the European Championship.

While those defeats remain painful memories, both players now find comfort in knowing that England have finally managed to overcome their penalty hoodoo.

“I think England have overcome that now,” Joe Cole told FourFourTwo. “But we lost a lot of shootouts from 1990 and it became a thing.”

He continued, “You have to credit Jordan Pickford and the boys – they’ve turned that round, haven’t they? The Colombia game in 2018 was huge for this country.”

Joe added, “Now we have a keeper who can save penalties, and players used to taking them in big moments. I’m confident going into the next one.”

Ashley Cole believes England’s recent success from the spot comes down to the coaching staff adopting a more comprehensive and scientific approach to penalty preparation.

“All we did was practise,” explained the former Chelsea and Arsenal full-back. “We had three big goals set up, and you’d take a penalty against this goalkeeper, then another against that one, and a third against another.”

“But now there are so many strategies to help you – with your breathing, your mindset, and your understanding of the process,” he said. “We just put the ball down and thought, ‘Pick your side and go that way in the match.’ We didn’t have any coaching or mental training back then.”

“Now there’s a lot of data and analysis involved, plenty of studies – that’s why they’re so well prepared in modern football,” Ashley concluded.

‘Could It Be Coming Home?’ with Joe Cole and Ashley Cole is presented by Carling, the official sponsor of the Emirates FA Cup and Adobe Women’s FA Cup. The show is available to watch on YouTube and Spotify, and can also be streamed on other podcast platforms.

Chris Flanagan, Senior Staff Writer