Gary Lineker: I'm to blame for England's Italia 90-penalty defeat

Telegraph

31-05-2025

Gary Lineker has shouldered the blame for England's Italia 90-penalty defeat to West Germany in 1990 after revealing that he handed goalkeeper Peter Shilton the wrong tactics.
Shilton, now 75, failed to save any of the penalties in the World Cup semi-final clash in Turin after former striker Lineker told him to stand still, leading West Germany to win the shoot-out at 4-3 to reach the World Cup final.
Lineker, who scored the equaliser that saw the clash end 1-1 after extra time, admitted he had advised Shilton that German players were likely to shoot the ball straight down the middle at least twice during the shoot-out.
Shilton, England's most-capped player with 125 caps, was left diving late.
Speaking about the penalty defeat on the What Did You Do Yesterday? podcast, Lineker said: 'That was my fault. Because I roomed with Peter Shilton, and we kept watching these penalty shoot-outs, because they were quite a new thing back then.
'I said to him, there's always two penalties straight down the middle. If the keeper just stands, he's going to save two, for sure.
'And so that was the plan. So that's why he went the right way on every penalty, but every penalty they stuck in the corner. I was to blame.'
Lineker hosted his final episode of BBC's Match of the Day on May 26, having taken on the role in 1999. He broke down in tears at tributes from various famous faces and his family to his career on the show.
After 25 years in the presenter's chair, he left the corporation 14 months early after coming under fire for sharing a pro-Palestine video that featured an illustration of a rat, an image used by the Nazis as a slur against Jewish people. Lineker later apologised for reposting the picture.
He thanked viewers, telling them: 'Let me take the opportunity to thank all the other pundits I've had the pleasure of working with over the last 25 years. You've made my job so much easier.
'Also, thanks to all those you don't see at home. The work that goes into making this iconic show is a huge team effort. From the editors to the analysis team, from the commentators to the floor managers, from the producers to the camera operators, from the PAs to the subs.
'Thank you all, you're the very best. Everyone else did all the hard work and I got the plaudits. It's been an absolute privilege to host Match of the Day for a quarter of a century. It's been utterly joyous.'