It’s easy to talk about the lucky bottle, but Jordan Pickford’s strategy has nothing to do with luck or superstition. As usual, the England goalkeeper had studied before the knockout tournament with selection.
The Three Lions won this Saturday’s Euro quarter-final against Switzerland (1-1, 5-3) on penalties after coming close to elimination again after one game.
But a save from Everton goalkeeper Manuel Akanji was enough to send the Englishmen into the last four of the Euros. He used his left perfectly to stop the first Swiss effort to start the English session perfectly.
Like France, Gareth Southgate’s men have some old demons to exorcise. After a brutal session against Italy in the Euro 2020 final, the Gunners later had to endure a nasty rant after failing to come face-to-face with Gianluigi Donnarumma.
This time, Pickford avoided a new pitfall for England. On his jar, Natty had written the shooters’ names and wishes. This technique works for him. According to Opta, he deflected four out of fourteen attempts during major international competitions, twice as many as any other English goalkeeper between 1990 and 2012.
So – and Didier Deschamps’ Blues understood this well against Portugal – a penalty shootout is also in the works.
“Beeraholic. Friend of animals everywhere. Evil web scholar. Zombie maven.”
More Stories
What are the 5 most spoken languages in the world?
Master the Art of Applying Acrylic Nails at Home: A Complete Guide
Tortoises as Family Pets: Teaching Responsibility and Care