Ashley Cole experienced numerous highs during his 107 appearances for England, but one of his lowest moments arrived at the end of the Three Lions’ Euro 2012 quarter-final against Italy.

England had managed to keep the Azzurri at bay for 120 goalless minutes in Kyiv, leaving their hopes of ending one of international football’s most enduring trophy droughts hinging on a penalty shootout.

The Three Lions had already lost their previous four shootouts, and when Cole failed to convert from the spot, their dismal record extended even further.

For Cole, the disappointment of that crucial miss was even harder to bear given that just weeks earlier, he had successfully converted under similar pressure. That occasion came in Moscow, when Chelsea secured their first-ever UEFA Champions League crown by defeating Bayern Munich in a penalty shootout, with Cole confidently dispatching the Blues’ fourth spot kick.

“I was disappointed because two or three weeks beforehand, I’d scored in the shootout against Bayern Munich in the Champions League final,” Cole recalled in an interview with FourFourTwo. “So missing killed me.”

Although Cole was rarely his club’s designated penalty taker, he never hesitated when the responsibility arose during shootouts.

“I was confident taking penalties,” he explained. “I thought, ‘OK, it’s just another penalty.’”

However, standing over the ball against Italy and facing the legendary Gianluigi Buffon, doubt began to creep in.

“In the Italy game, I changed my mind,” he admitted. “I knew that Buffon would have watched the Champions League final – he told me afterwards that he had watched it.”

“I should have gone down the middle, but I tried to whip it and go the same way again.”

Buffon guessed correctly and made the save, leaving West Ham midfielder Alessandro Diamanti to step up and score the decisive penalty for Italy.

“It was devastating,” Cole reflected, looking back nearly fifteen years later. “But it is what it is – you can’t score them all, I’m not the only one who’s missed a penalty.”

“I’m saying that flippantly, but I carried a lot of guilt on my shoulders for not helping the team to get through.”

Could It Be Coming Home? with Joe Cole and Ashley Cole is brought to you by Carling, official sponsor of the Emirates FA Cup and Adobe Women’s FA Cup. Watch the show on YouTube and Spotify, or listen to it wherever you get your podcasts.

Chris Flanagan, Senior Staff Writer