Free Kick: Of Beckham and all the missed penalties

What is it about England and penalties? And about David Beckham and penalties, now that he has so abjectly missed three spot kicks in a row.

England, alas, are making a dismal habit of dropping out of international tournaments on penalties. You can argue that the whole concept of deciding a match, not least in an important competition, on penalties is arbitrary, even immoral.

Time was when football's calendar was not so ludicrously crowded that matches in such competitions which ended in a draw would be replayed. Later, when time ran out, there was even a period when the opposing captains tossed a disc. That might have a great deal less dramatic than deciding on penalties but that drama is surely essentially spurious. But England's penalty record is quite disastrous.

In the 1990 World Cup semi-final in Turin, Chris Waddle and Stuart Pearce both missed their spot kicks, and Germany went on to win the final.

In Euro '96, it was the hapless Gareth Southgate who failed, enabling Germany again to win the semi final and the final in turn.

In the 1998 World Cup, in Saint Etienne versus Argentina when a petulant David Beckham was sent off, and England played most of the 120 minutes with 10 men, David Batty, never known for his spot kicks, was obliged to take the one that doomed England.

And now Beckham, though to give him his due he did get the World Cup 2002 penalty in Japan against Argentina, which took England through, has failed with three in a row.

Against Turkey in a World Cup eliminator in Istanbul, he booted over the top, complaining afterwards that he slipped.

In Portugal, Fabien Barthez made a superb save from his spot kick, but he shouldn't surely have been allowed to. And then against Portugal, what should Beckham do but blaze high over the top again!

Franz Beckenbauer, that German soccer institution, expressed amazement that given his recent record, Beckham should have been given the first penalty to take at all.

Afterwards, coach Sven Goran Eriksson complained that the penalty spot involved had been in rough condition, that complaints had gone unheard; but, after all, that hadn't stopped most of the other penalty kickers of both sides succeeding.

A word, a somewhat mystified word, about Postiga, the Portuguese striker, who has spent most of a miserable season with Tottenham on the bench.

It looked an act of folly when manager 'Big Phil' Scolari brought him on to replace none other than the illustrious Luis Figo, even if the latter had sometimes flattered to deceive. But he gloriously headed the equaliser for Portugal and Big Phil was eminently justified.

That was quite a long shot, though.