Pirlo why i chipped hart

This type of shot takes an incredible amount of skill, deception, and courage to pull off—especially when your team is losing. When they fail , the penalty taker looks unbelievably foolish. Pirlo knew it would be a serious gamble, but he knew that it would pay off in huge amounts. High risk, high reward. The shot, which daintily floated over the middle of the goal line and bounced gently off the back netting, was stunning in itself.

But it was what the shot did to the minds of the players on the pitch that was so awe-inspiring. Pirlo knew that a simple penalty wouldn't be enough in this situation. He turned a relatively straightforward situation into a morale swap. The shot altered the emotions of players of both teams as well as everyone who watched it. It gave Italy reason to believe again after Montolivo's spirit-deflating miss. It seemed to kill England's confidence that Rooney's penalty had given them moments before.

It even gave the fans the strange sense that Italy had regained the upper hand. Ashley Young , next up for England, placed his ball on the penalty spot. There was no denying that Pirlo's bit of magic had seriously upped the pressure on England's players. Young's boyish face appeared subdued and nervous, like a child that had just been scolded. Following Rooney's lead, he chose power over finesse, but it backfired—his shot ricocheted off the crossbar.

No goal. Knowing England had just lost its numerical shot advantage, a confident Antonio Nocerino stepped up and powered his shot to the lower left corner. Italy led again. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Already subscribed? Log in. And then he moved and my mind was made up.

It was all impromptu, not premeditated. There was absolutely no showboating about it - that's not my style. FourFourTwo Football news, features, statistics. Topics Joe Hart. European Championship.