Pirlo will not put me on the spot a second time, promises Hart
JOE HART denied that he will be motivated by revenge when England face Italy in the first game of the World Cup after Andrea Pirlo tricked him with a ‘Panenka’ penalty at Euro 2012.
The Italian playmaker turned the quarter-final penalty shoot-out on its head when he stepped up to the spot with his side trailing 2-1 after Riccardo Montolivo had missed, while Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney had both scored for England.
Pirlo claimed that seeing Hart ‘doing all sorts on the line’ encouraged him to dink the ball over the goalkeeper and straight into the middle of the net, in the style originated by Antonin Panenka for Czechoslovakia against West Germany in the final of the 1976 European Championship.
Hart had been jumping on his line and screaming at the penalty-takers in an attempt to make them too flustered to score.
‘I made my decision right at the last second, when I saw Joe Hart, the England goalie, doing all sorts on his line,’ Pirlo said in his autobiography.
‘As I began my run-up, I still hadn’t decided what I was going to do. And then he moved and my mind was made up. It was impromptu, not premeditated.
‘The only way I could see pushing my chances of scoring close to 100 per cent. There was absolutely no showboating about it — that’s not my style.’
Hart will come face to face with Pirlo in Brazil for the first time since that quarter-final in Ukraine which ended in defeat for England. Although there will be no shoot-out in England’s first group game in Manaus on June 12, Pirlo may be favoured by Italy to take a spot-kick. Hart claimed it was not weighing heavily on his mind.
‘He scored,’ said Hart. ‘I don’t think he did it to embarrass me. He just tried to get it in the net and they won the shoot-out. That’s it.’
Hart said he had learned humility this season after he was dropped at Manchester City in favour of Costel Pantilimon for seven Premier League games and one Champions League match.
The 27-year-old reclaimed his place in Manuel Pellegrini’s first XI but said he had learned a lesson which will benefit him in his England career.
‘I have learned a lot this season, that football does not revolve around myself,’ said Hart. ‘There are other great keepers all over the world. I am at a very good club who have three good keepers.
‘I am part of an England squad that have five or six to choose from. I just know I have to work hard to get to the best level I can be.’
Hart is Roy Hodgson’s first choice, ahead of West Brom’s Ben Foster and Celtic’s Fraser Forster. But he said he would not be taking anything for granted, having been in the World Cup squad in South Africa in 2010 when Rob Green lost his place to David James. Green made a howler in the opening group game to gift the USA a 1-1 draw.
‘I’m not there yet, I’m still pushing hard,’ said Hart. ‘We have two great goalkeepers in the squad. Ben has had a fantastic season and Fraser has kept clean sheet after clean sheet at Celtic. I’m fully aware of what’s around me.
‘In South Africa, we were all there working as a unit and we supported Greeny for the first game. He came out and we supported Jamo, that is how it is — it is nothing personal, you have to do your best for England.
‘That’s the same for me, whether I am playing or not playing I will be doing my best for England.’