Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji says it felt good converting the penalty kick which handed City the Community Shield at Wembley on Saturday against Manchester United, Afrosport reports.
After an entertaining 1-1 draw with late goals coming through substitutes Alejandro Garnacho and Bernardo Silva, Akanji stepped up to convert City’s last penalty after Jonny Evans had missed.
Reacting to the victory, the Switzerland defender of Nigerian heritage felt vindicated after missing a spot kick in the quarter final shootout defeat to England at the Euro 2024 championship.
He said: “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.
“I trained it yesterday in training and I told Ederson I am going to shoot it down the middle, I did it and it went in, it feels great and I’m excited.
“In the end, penalties is luck and it is always a bad feeling for the players who miss, I know how it is, but it has to be someone.”
This angle of Manuel Akanji’s winning penalty 😮💨#CommunityShield pic.twitter.com/UnpgRN3s7p
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) August 11, 2024
City will begin their Premier League title defense against Chelsea at the Etihad next Sunday, two days after Manchester United get the season underway against Fulham at Old Trafford.
