 Gdansk (Poland): England goalkeeper Joe Hart has put his hand up for taking spot kicks for his country if needed and has backed himself to do a good job of it.
With England`s notorious record in penalty shootouts, coach Roy Hodgson has the team practicing spot-kicks in the run-up to their Euro 2012 quarter-final against Italy. England has been knocked out of five major tournaments in penalties since 1990.
"If they let me, I`ll put my name forward 100 percent," Hart said on the UEFA website Thursday.
"Hopefully it won`t come to that. It`s a lottery, but I`d back myself in a tournament."
Hart added that he felt confident that he and defender Joleon Lescott could keep their Manchester City teammate Mario Balotelli under control during the match.
The winner of the quarter-final will face either Germany or Greece in the semi-final.
IANS
First Published: Friday, June 22, 2012, 22:17
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