England keeper Hart unfazed at taking penalties

England goalkeeper Joe Hart has put his hand up for taking spot kicks for his country if needed and has backed himself to do a good job of it. With England’s notorious record in penalty shootouts, coach Roy Hodgson has the team practicing spot-kicks in the run-up to their Euro 2012 quarter-final against Italy. England has been knocked out of five major tournaments in penalties since 1990. [caption id=“attachment_354268” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=" England has been knocked out of five major tournaments in penalties since 1990. AFP"]  [/caption] “If they let me, I’ll put my name forward 100 percent,” Hart said on the UEFA website Thursday. “Hopefully it won’t come to that. It’s a lottery, but I’d back myself in a tournament.” Hart added that he felt confident that he and defender Joleon Lescott could keep their Manchester City teammate Mario Balotelli under control during the match. The winner of the quarter-final will face either Germany or Greece in the semi-final. IANS