Eberechi Eze needs to stop with the stutter penalty after fourth miss | OneFootball

In the list of embarrassing ways to miss a penalty, a stuttering run up followed by dragging it wide is behind only a penalty into the keeper’s arms.

Eberechi Eze was the second Arsenal player to take a spot-kick in the Champions League final shootout and immediately put pressure on his team-mates as he stuttered his run up before dragging it wide.

On this occasion, one possible reason behind Eze’s miss is that PSG keeper Matvey Safonov did not move, forcing Eze to go for a corner, something that is harder to do with a single step run-up.

Eze has history with this kind of penalty and the showpiece event in Budapest was not the first time he has missed using this method.

Eze missed the first spot kick he ever took in senior football when he was playing for QPR during the 2018-19 Championship season.

His stuttered run-up preceded Kieran Westwood diving the right way and making a relatively comfortable save. On that occasion, his team-mates spared his blushes by winning despite the miss.

Fast forward to 2025 with Crystal Palace and the Eagles were away at Newcastle. With his team trailing 1-0, Eze had a chance to level the scoreline but missed the spot kick. Newcastle would go on to win 5-0.

Even this season, Eze has missed a penalty using this method.

In the Community Shield final, Eze was the second Palace player to take a spotkick in the shootout but missed as Alisson saved. Thankfully for him, Liverpool’s penalties were even worse with three of the five takers missing.

The miss did not go down well with TNT pundit Steven Gerrard who suggested it put added pressure on the taker.

“Think about the magnitude of the game, the stadium, the atmosphere, it’s hard enough without any of that nonsense,” Gerrard, who scored 46 penalties and only missed nine in his career, said. “Put your foot through it, back your technique.”

Ex-Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves added on Eze’s penalty: “I’ve never been a big fan of that run-up, I think it puts you under pressure.

“I prefer players picking their corner and smashing it in. That one, if you stutter, you can put a bit of doubt in your own mind if the goalkeeper doesn’t move.

“I feel for him and Gabriel because they’re two brilliant players. I just think you need to take doubt out of it by running up and hitting the penalty rather than stuttering.”

It may have been Gabriel’s kick which sealed the defeat but Eze’s will be the more disappointing for Arsenal fans as it needlessly put the team on the back foot. Thomas Tuchel was surely watching on and may have crossed out Eze’s name for his summer penalty shootout plans.