Michael Owen has offered his England teammates a word of sympathy, as he claims there is nothing worse in football than the pressure of a big-match shoot-out.

Speaking to msn.com, Owen also explained how players must learn to conquer nerves if they want to succeed from the spot.

Owen said: "The penalty shoot-out is truly nerve-wracking. It is more nerve-wracking than anything else in the game.

"You have got 10 seconds before you put that ball down on the spot and it plays with your mind.

"You have to try not to think about it because there are so many questions.

"You can be there wondering: My team-mates are stood behind me, what are they doing? How many people are watching this? How many pubs and clubs and houses?

"What's the manager going to think if I score? What's he going to think if I miss? What will happen to me if I miss?

"You could spend all night on the questions but you have got 10 seconds to just block everything out and try to focus on scoring a goal.''

Owen, who has netted 36 England goals, was forced to leave the England squad after suffering a serious knee injury in the final group game against Sweden, in Cologne.

The Newcastle striker said: "No matter how much you practice penalties, you just can't recreate the pressure of a shoot-out.

"We practised this time, but we didn't in 1998 and the result has been the same. I have taken two in major tournaments for England and you really can't recreate that pressure.

"In training, you can bend them into the top corner but when you don't know where your legs are - when you have got to look down to see your legs because you simply can't feel them - it's totally different.

"If you do practice, you're not going to do yourself any harm, so if it does give you that extra confidence then I suppose it is worth doing but I am not sure it makes much difference."