England are into the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup after edging out Mexico, and it’s Norway and Erling Haaland up next.
The Three Lions won 3-2 at the Azteca in the early hours of this morning, edging a thrilling contest to keep their World Cup hopes alive.
Jude Bellingham scored a brace, with Harry Kane also on target.
Are you worried about what you’re seeing from Pickford? 🤔
Mexico fought hard, and applied a lot of pressure, particularly after the red card for Jarrell Quansah.
But England stood firm and can now look forward to a quarter-final clash with Norway.
And Jordan Pickford, who shone against Mexico, will certainly have to bring his A-game against the red-hot Haaland.
How Everton’s Jordan Pickford has fared vs Erling Haaland
In last night’s other game, Norway beat Brazil to advance to the quarter-finals.
While Brazil going out of the tournament is potentially a boost for England, Norway are showing that they are a great team.
They should provide just as much threat as Mexico, if not more. And of course, they have arguably the greatest out-and-out striker on the planet at their disposal.
Haaland’s brace against Brazil now puts him level with Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe in the race for the Golden Boot. They all have seven so far.
He is in frightening form for his country, having scored in their last 14 straight matches, yielding a whopping 27 goals.
Put simply, England need Pickford to be at his absolute best – but how has he fared against Haaland previously?
So far in his career, Haaland has scored seven times past Pickford for Manchester City.
But various data websites indicate Pickford – who is set to surpass Peter Shilton’s appearance record on Saturday – has made eight to 10 saves from the striker, giving him a save percentage of around 60%.
And there is also another intriguing aspect of the Pickford vs Haaland battle. Everton’s number one has previously saved a penalty from Haaland, which is obviously a scenario that could come into play on Saturday.
Pickford made the save on Boxing Day 2024, as Everton held City to a 1-1 draw at the Etihad Stadium.
Sure, Haaland has netted plenty of times past Pickford.
But after his display against Mexico, he should be full of confidence and that will hopefully stand him in good stead for his latest meeting with Haaland.
The fact he’s saved a penalty from him is also most welcome, should England find themselves in that particular situation.
Receive a digest of our best Everton content each week direct to your mailbox
