Bayer Leverkusen star Hakan Çalhanoğlu has stated that he was not phased by missing his spot kick in the shoot out against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League Last 16.
Çalhanoğlu missed his penalty but underlined that it will not deter him from nominating himself for spot kick duty in the future.
The 21-year-old pointed out that he scored seven penalties while at Karlsruhe in the German third division.
“I will not hide. I know that I can. In Karlsruhe I have seven penalty kicks all scored,” Çalhanoğlu told German newspaper Express.
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The Bayer star revealed that taking penalties is more a mental than technical.
“Penalties are a head thing. If I feel good, I will score,” he added.
Ironically Çalhanoğlu has a better record with set-pieces outside of the penalty area.
The attacking midfielder has scored more than twice as many Bundesliga goals from direct free-kicks (9) than any other player since August 2013.
Çalhanoğlu has 10 assists and 12 goals in all competitions for Bayer this season.
