James: England will not pay penalty as homework is spot on

THE moment the World Cup moves into the knockout stage a Germanic mind focuses almost immediately on a ruthless and relentless push for victory; an Englishman’s thoughts, it is becoming increasingly clear, drift instead to penalties.

England’s last-16 match against Germany is still a day away but all the talk in the build-up to the fixture in Bloemfontein is not of what the final score may be or even whether Wayne Rooney can end his drought in front of goal.

No, all the talk is of an inevitable shoot-out and whether England can finally end a jinx which stretches back to 1990. That was the year that Bobby Robson’s team, Gazza and all, lost a World Cup semi-final on penalties to Germany having out-played them for long spells in a 1-1 draw.