Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford featured for England last night.
Jordan Pickford broke a record for most England World Cup appearances, as he played his 18th game at the tournament.
The Everton number one helped his nation defeat Norway 2-1 to reach the semi-finals, which will take place on Wednesday against Argentina.
Mahrez has just left Al-Ahli… should Everton sign him on a free? 👀
That said, we’ve had a look at how the national media reacted to Pickford’s display in Miami.
National media label Jordan Pickford ‘shaky’ vs Norway
Pickford didn’t have his best game in an England shirt and his performance was described as ‘shaky’ and ‘uncertain’ by the media.
Here’s what Sky Sports had to say about the 32-year-old.
6/10 – “Could he have done better for Norway’s goal? Maybe a bit harsh, as nine times out of ten that flies over. Couple of second half saves, but looked a bit jittery. Didn’t exactly breathe confidence to his defenders with some ropey moments. But Norway’s Orjan Nyland showed what a real goalkeeper mistake looks like for Bellingham’s winner.”
BBC added.
5/10 – “Made history as he became the most-capped player for England in World Cups. But Pickford was caught out by Andreas Schjelderup’s cross for the Norway opener. An uncertain performance from the England number one.”
The Telegraph stated.
4/10 – “His 18th appearance at the World Cup is a record for England, but he will be disappointed with Schjelderup’s goal as he appeared to misread the flight of the shot and pull his hand away. Looked nervous dealing with straightforward shots after that.”
The Express said.
6/10 – “Fast on his feet to deny Erling Haaland a chance on goal in after John Stones’ mistake then saved well from Haaland’s header soon after. Was guilty of an error for the goal, which he could have got a hand to. Looked like he pulled his arm away, thinking it was going over or wide. Also saved from Martin Odegaard and Haaland to see England over the line.”
The Guardian simply wrote.
6/10 – “Looked shaky on occasions. Not clear why he doesn’t try to catch the ball more often.”
The media have always been pretty harsh on Pickford and it seems as though only Everton fans truly appreciate how good he is.
But on this occasion, there is some substance in their criticism, as the Toffees star’s Sofascore statistics aren’t great.
Pickford made one error which led to a shot and he had a -0.58 goals prevented metric, suggesting he could’ve done a lot better with Norway’s opener.
Anyhow, the main objective was achieved and he will now play in his second World Cup semi-final next week.
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