Eric Dier has revealed Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale has been teasing him in the England World Cup camp for the quality of his penalty during England’s 2018 World Cup win over Colombia.
The Tottenham Hotspur defender now has 47 caps for the England national team, scoring three goals along the way (Transfermarkt).
Dier was recalled to the international set-up for the recent games against Italy and Germany in September after a long exile from the squad.
He was last in Gareth Southgate’s squad in March 2021 but failed to get on the pitch. His last appearance before September was in the win over Iceland in November 2020.
The 28-year-old has been in great form since Antonio Conte’s arrival at Tottenham and managed to impress Southgate enough to not only get back in the fold for England, but also make the World Cup squad for the imminent tournament in Qatar.
Dier was one of the players to score a crucial penalty back in the knockout tie against Colombia in 2018, ultimately converting the spot-kick to send England through to the quarter-finals in Russia.
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Speaking to the media (via Jack Pitt-Brooke) ahead of England’s opening World Cup tie with Iran tomorrow, Dier revealed Ramsdale has criticised his penalty.
Apparently, Ramsdale labelled the kick a “bad penalty,” to which Dier simply responds by saying he “doesn’t mind because it went in.”
Bad technique or not, Dier’s low, powerful effort did the job, and saw England on their way to a momentous semi-final finish in 2018. They’ll be hoping to go one better this time around, of course.
Spurs Web Opinion
I see both sides of this one, really. Yes, it wasn’t the best penalty in the world, but it really doesn’t matter at all. Dier got the job done, we won the shootout, and progressed in the tournament. Let’s hope there are no mistakes in Qatar if we end up in a penalty situation again.
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