Manuel Akanji's experience in his previous penalty shoot-out didn't stop him from becoming the hero on Saturday as Manchester City defeated Manchester United to win the FA Community Shield.
The teams battled to a 1-1 draw after full-time, requiring spot-kicks to determine who would be the victor in the unofficial kick-off to the English football season. Seven rounds of penalties resolved nothing until Akanji stepped up to score his attempt after United's Jonny Evans failed to convert.
Akanji's successful spot-kick on Saturday followed his experience at Euro 2024, during which the Switzerland international was the only player to not convert his effort in a quarter-final loss to England. He made up for it for his club side, although the shoot-out from Euro 2024 was still on his mind when City decided their order of kickers.
"I let the others shoot first because obviously when you miss a penalty, you don't go into the next one with that much confidence," Akanji told ITV. "I told Ederson I would shoot it down the middle in training so I did it and it went in."
While the Community Shield isn't as hotly contested as other trophies on offer during the season, Akanji stated that winning it provides a nice boost ahead of another campaign in which the Sky Blues are expected to compete on multiple fronts.
"It is a great start to the season, I haven't won the Community Shield yet so I'm really happy that I got this trophy as well and we look forward to hopefully win the next one soon," he said.
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