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NOTTINGHAM FOREST HISTORY
22 June, 1996

Pearce buries Euro shootout penalty

On this day in Nottingham Forest history in 1996 Stuart Pearce scores an emotional Euro 96 shootout penalty for England.

Player legacies

Iconic goal, save, assist, tackle, or individual moment
Stuart Pearce, former orest player and manager.
Stuart Pearce, former orest player and manager. Image: Austin Osuide / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Stuart Pearce’s penalty against Spain became one of the most emotional moments of Euro 96.

England drew 0–0 with Spain in the UEFA European Championship quarter-final before the match went to a shootout. Pearce, still closely identified with Forest as captain and club icon, stepped up and scored as England won on penalties.

Stuart Pearce, former orest player and manager.
Stuart Pearce, former orest player and manager. Image: Austin Osuide / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The moment carried unusual weight because of Pearce’s missed penalty for England at the 1990 World Cup. This time, he drove his kick in and released years of frustration in a celebration that immediately became part of English football memory.

For Forest supporters, the scene had an extra layer. Pearce was not just an England player in that moment; he was their captain, a player whose intensity and emotional honesty had long been familiar at the City Ground.

England’s victory over Spain sent them into the semi-finals, but Pearce’s penalty became one of the images that lasted longest. It was redemption, relief and raw feeling in a single kick.

Penalty Footage

Sources

UEFA; England Football Online; 11v11

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