While England’s five penalty takers looked remarkably calm in their penalty shootout win over Switzerland, was the same true of the country’s supporters watching on at home?
Earlier last week, data from wearable technology company WHOOP showed that Cristiano Ronaldo’s heart rate dropped to its lowest point when he took a high-pressure penalty for Portugal in the shootout against Slovenia. Ronaldo is a global ambassador and investor in WHOOP and wears the device to monitor his performance, recovery and health.
But how does a supporter’s heart rate react to the stress of an important quarter-final that ends in a penalty shootout?
The Athletics asked writer James McNicholas to strap on a WHOOP band as he watched England v Switzerland from his sofa. He shares his findings…
15 minutes until kick-off: Here I see a sharp spike as my heart rate shoots up to about 115 beats per minute (bpm).
I attribute this to the moment I found out that Gareth Southgate plans to play Kieran Trippier on the left flank instead of moving Bukayo Saka to that flank and having Trent Alexander-Arnold play on the right flank.
(Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
3rd minute: My heart rate shoots up as my toddler presses a button on my remote, meaning I’m now watching a service called “Rakuten TV” instead of the quarterfinals. Order is quickly restored and the remote is expertly hidden.
15th minute: Harry Kane calls for a penalty. This almost flat line illustrates that even I — a devoted England fan — didn’t believe it for a second.
(Clive Mason/Getty Images)
35th minute: Jude Bellingham’s graceful pirouette makes my heart rate briefly rise above 80 beats per minute.
45th minute: My Heartbeat actually tells the story of the first half in a rather elegant way. It starts strongly with a flash of excitement, with a gradual decline over the next 45 minutes as the reality of England’s performance slowly sinks in.
You will notice that my heart rate is considerably higher at half-time, which can be attributed to a) the frantic tea-making process and b) the bewilderment at the television analysts who tried to mislead me into believing that England are significantly better off than in previous games.
(Rene Nijhuis/MB Media/Getty Images)
55th minute: The BBC commentary admits that “this is all a bit ‘start-stop’ — mostly ‘stop’.” The same can be said of my heart rate, which is now hovering just under 80 beats per minute.
75th minute: It’s telling that my heart rate during regulation time is at its highest during Switzerland’s season opener.
There wasn’t much to get excited about from an English perspective, but Breel Embolo’s goal certainly has me a little agitated. At this point I’m pacing around my living room giving Gareth Southgate some polite ‘tactical advice’ while my wife tries to cover my toddler’s innocent ears.
(Marvin Ibo Guengoer – GES Sportfoto/Getty Images)
80th minute: Saka save. What a moment. I can only imagine the only reason my heart rate didn’t shoot through the roof was because, as an Arsenal fan, I’ve seen him score this exact goal before.
(Clive Mason/Getty Images)
102nd minute: Signs of stress here. Given that the match is not particularly exciting at the moment, we can assume this is due to the looming penalty shootout. No specific trigger, just latent fear. I was personally present at the Euro 2020 final and still bear the emotional scars.
109th minute: Manuel Akanji pushes Kane off the pitch, into Southgate and out of the game. Even with the possibility of penalties looming, the substitution feels like overtime. I’d wager my heart rate and exertion level throughout this game have been considerably higher than Kane’s.
(James Baylis – AMA/Getty Images)
117th minute: The arrival of a familiar face in Xherdan Shaqiri always felt promising and the experienced midfielder almost secured the decisive goal when his shot from a corner hit Jordan Pickford’s post.
Start of the penalty shootout: It’s penalties. And what a start: an ice-cold Cole Palmer steps up to give England the lead — does he even have a pulse? Then Pickford dives low to save Akanji’s tame effort, the Manchester City defender failing to show the same level of accuracy he had when he fired Kane at the England manager a few minutes earlier.
(Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
Saka pen: Just as Ronaldo managed to control his autonomic nervous system during the match against Slovenia, I also somehow managed to slow down my body’s internal rhythm when Saka stepped up to take his penalty kick.
A combination of breathing techniques and visualization were used, both of which helped keep me from going completely crazy.
(Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
England wins: Trent Alexander-Arnold converts the decisive penalty and the nation’s heart rate soars. Mine is at around 130 beats per minute, no doubt helped by the fact that I’m running through the corridors of my apartment building shouting something about Swiss cuckoos having to put their clocks back in because it’s coming home.
ENGLAND WINS THE PENALTY SHOOTOUT!
#BBCEuros #Euro2024 #ENGSUI photo.twitter.com/06KdlOtLog
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 6, 2024
England have not played in a sufficiently exciting manner to keep the pulse racing. But they have delivered the dramatic moments that make most English hearts beat faster.
(Header photo: Hesham Elsherif/Anadolu via Getty Images. Design: Sean Reilly)
