The Netherlands crumbled under the Monterrey lights, missing three spot kicks as Morocco came from behind to win a dramatic penalty shootout 3-2 and reach the last 16 of the 2026 World Cup. The Dutch joined Germany, who were also dumped out on penalties in the round of 32, as another European powerhouse fell from the spot — a fate England midfielder Declan Rice believes his side is uniquely equipped to avoid.
“I look at this group now, I don't think there's a better crop of penalty takers that England have probably ever had,” Rice told the Mirror. “To be honest with you, I think I look at Harry [Kane], I look at Ivan [Toney], I look at Marcus [Rashford], look at Anthony Gordon, Saka, I can take one, Jude [Bellingham]. We have real strong takers.”
“Netherlands and Germany exit World Cup on penalties as Declan Rice backs England's spot-kick prowess”
Rice knows the stakes. He scored in the Champions League final shootout for Arsenal against Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest, though the Gunners lost. That experience, he says, has only sharpened his belief. “I've never been the strongest penalty-taker, but I feel like over time, my penalty in the Champions League final — I've never been so confident for a penalty. I don't know what it was, I just have my process, I knew where I was going to go.”
He described studying the goalkeeper's tendencies and playing mind games. “I studied the keeper on where he thought I would have been, because my last couple of pens have been the other side. It was all about that mind games going on. But I felt really calm.”
Rice also pointed to England captain Harry Kane's meticulous preparation. “With Harry, it is incredible repetition and his process before the game's even played — the day before he knows if he gets a penalty the next day, where he's going, there's no doubt in his mind.”
“Especially with these balls as well, from 12 yards if you hit it hard and well, I feel like keepers, it's tough to save,” he added. “If you put them in the corners, it's really tough to save, so yes, about having a process and being strong-minded.”
As England prepare for their own knockout ties, the sight of the Netherlands and Germany faltering from 12 yards serves as a warning — and an opportunity. Rice and his teammates believe they have the tools to go where the Dutch and Germans could not.