England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has expressed confidence that his team will remain composed ahead of their FIFA World Cup semi-final against defending champions Argentina, despite the intense historical rivalry between the two nations, according to ESPN.
This fixture is the first World Cup meeting between England and Argentina since the 1998 tournament, remembered for David Beckham’s sending off following an incident involving Argentina’s Diego Simeone.
Speaking before the match, Pickford emphasised England’s discipline throughout the tournament, noting the team’s avoidance of unnecessary altercations. “I think you’ve seen throughout the tournament our desire to win tackles; we’ve not got into any scuffles or anything. We’ve been very well respected within the game,” he said, as quoted by ESPN.
“Decisions go our way, they don’t go our way, we just reset, we go again, and we let the football do the talking,” he added.
The goalkeeper further highlighted that aside from Jarell Quansah’s red card against Mexico, the squad has largely avoided suspensions and second-yellow card offences. “It just shows the mentality we have, and we don’t get wrapped up in things like that. We stay focused, we stay together,” Pickford stated.
England secured their place in the semi-final by defeating Norway 2-1, ending Norway’s best-ever FIFA World Cup run. This quarter-final was a historic milestone for Norway, marking their first appearance in the last eight since their return to the tournament after 1998.
Despite Norway’s exit, striker Erling Haaland had an impressive tournament, scoring in every group-stage match as well as in the Round of 32 and Round of 16, finishing as Norway’s top scorer with seven goals.