Opinion: Jordan Pickford Answers England Critics With World Cup Heroics

Blues & England Goalkeeper Proves His Quality in Penalty Shootout Victory Over Colombia

Everton‘s Jordan Pickford will feel like a vindicated man this morning after his penalty shootout heroics against Colombia.

The Toffees goalkeeper, who is England’s number one at this summer’s World Cup, had come in for unwarranted criticism in the build-up to his side’s last-16 showdown with the South American nation.

Pundits Gary Neville and Lee Dixon had both claimed that Pickford needed to work on his decision making after the Three Lions’ 1-0 loss to Belgium on 28th June.

Indeed, the duo insisted that Pickford had tried to save Adnan Januzaj’s winning goal with the wrong hand – an opinion that was clearly untrue.

Belgium’s own shot stopper Thibaut Courtois also plunged the knife in on Pickford in the aftermath of his team’s victory.

The Chelsea keeper brazenly stated that he would have “caught” Januzaj’s effort due to being 10cm taller than his fellow keeper.

And yet it is Pickford who is having the last laugh against that trio following his display to help England into the quarter-finals.

The ex-Sunderland star will deservedly earn the plaudits for saving Carlos Bacca’s penalty – a feat all the more impressive due to his agility and ability to get his right hand back towards the ball to paw it to safety.

But it was his save in the build-up to Colombia’s equaliser that will surely be making Courtois, Neville and Dixon eat their words today.

Mateus Uribe thought he had rescued his national side with an arrowing drive deep into injury time at the end of the game.

Pickford, though, wasn’t going to beaten and, acrobatically flinging himself into the air, threw a left hand high above him to tip Uribe’s goalbound effort around the post.

It was a stunning save that made a mockery of all the criticism he had faced for almost five days.

And it’s no surprise that those who reacted negatively to Januzaj’s goal have all gone quiet in the aftermath of England’s first-ever World Cup penalty shootout triumph.

Pickford is a quality goalkeeper. You don’t become England’s youngest number one at a World Cup finals if you don’t have something about you.

His confidence, goalkeeping ability and general demeanour mean that he won’t have been fazed by the criticism.

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Yet he will feel more than vindicated after Tuesday night. And Evertonians will be made up for him for answering those critics in spectacular fashion.