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Stuart Pearce struggled to pick his man-of-the-match as England secured their position in the World Cup quarter-finals.
Jude Bellingham’s brace against Mexico grabbed the global headlines; however, it was a night defined by team resilience after Jarell Quansah’s red card left the Three Lions a man down against a hostile crowd of 80,000 fans.
Thomas Tuchel’s side produced one of England’s greatest international performances to beat the co-hosts as they clung onto a 3-2 win.
Forwards Bellingham and Anthony Gordon were naturally tipped for the individual award, but former England captain Pearce eventually went for the man between the sticks.
Speaking live on talkSPORT commentary, Pearce admitted: “Pickford was magnificent, Bellingham was outstanding, but I’m going to go for Gordon. He kept Gordon on right till the end.
“He threatened Mexico, he worked tirelessly for the team and I thought he was incredible, but I’m almost begrudgingly picking him because Pickford was so good for so long…
“You know what, I’m changing it. Pickford was magnificent, two wonderful saves. When his team needed him to step up for the last 20 minutes, he was there coming off his line.
“Catching things, punching things, incredible. But I have to give a huge mention to Gordon and Bellingham, I thought they were outstanding as well.”
The rock of the Azteca
Pickford tipped Raul Jimenez’s early diving header around the post, which set the tone for a reassuring performance from England’s No1.
The Everton star helped guide Tuchel’s ten men through one of the toughest fixtures the nation has ever played.
Reflecting on a historic night, Pickford said: “Unreal, you won’t get much better than that. The manager told us to pound the rock, keep knocking the rock down and they’ll crack.
“We were the rock tonight and we didn’t crack. I think that’s the summary, and what a performance. It wasn’t pretty, but it was resilient and it was top level.
“We dug in with 80,000 people in the Azteca. If that doesn’t get the hairs up on the back of your neck, nothing will. That is high-level stuff that we’ve just achieved there.”
Defying the ‘mad man’ label
Pickford has frequently drawn media criticism over the years for his highly animated, passionate style on the pitch, with many people mistaking his intensity for a lack of composure.
There was a lot of noise regarding the England keeper following his earlier performances, especially against DR Congo where Brian Cipenga’s low effort slipped underneath Pickford at his near post.
However, when tensions were high, it was Pickford’s decision-making which got England over the line.
After the match, he said: “There were two high-pressure moments and it’s just about being in that moment, being ready because you know they’re going to keep coming. It’s about being in the right position, just being ready for action.
“We know what a threat Raul Jimenez is in the air, and he showed it tonight and I had to be ready to make saves. The lads in front of the net were going to have to make saves, were going to have to make blocks.
“The lads coming on, [John] Stonesy, Dan Burn, it was an all-round performance. It’s Burnie’s [Dan Burn] World Cup debut tonight, and he’s blocked an overhead kick from point blank from Jimenez.
“It was just like a feeling that you’ll never forget, but that’s the standard we set ourselves and that’s the togetherness we have and we go again.
“Everyone says I’m a mad man, but I think everyone knows I showed my calmness tonight in every moment and every action I did, and that’s the standard I set for myself.”
The greatest to ever do it?
The Sunderland academy graduate made his senior international debut in 2017 and has gone on to earn 89 appearances in total for England, keeping him on track to become a centurion.
He remains the most expensive British goalkeeper of all-time, having moved to Merseyside for ÂŁ25million in 2017.
Pickford has frequently finished in the Premier League’s Golden Glove top five, despite fighting relegation in previous seasons with the Toffees.
Meanwhile, former England goalkeeper Jack Butland insisted it’s time the Three Lions’ No1 receives the recognition his career deserves.
He said: “What Jordan’s done in his time as England goalie is consistently come up with massive moments which have taken us to quarter-finals, semi-finals, and finals of major tournaments.
“He’s come up with big performances in all of those. You need a goalkeeper that’s consistent, he’s exactly that. He’s now the tied appearance holder for World Cups.
“So I don’t think there’s much more you need to ask from him other than what we all want, which is to win the whole thing, but that’s just not down to him.
“So if you’re looking at it impartially and you’re comparing him to what other England goalies have done, he’s done a hell of a lot more than most. And he’s just shy of the great Gordon Banks in terms of trophies.
“So, if he, and we, can go on and do something special in this tournament he should be regarded as one of the best we’ve ever had for sure, if not the best.”
Stuart Pearce struggled to pick his man-of-the-match as England secured their position in the World Cup quarter-finals.
Jude Bellingham’s brace against Mexico grabbed the global headlines; however, it was a night defined by team resilience after Jarell Quansah’s red card left the Three Lions a man down against a hostile crowd of 80,000 fans.
Thomas Tuchel’s side produced one of England’s greatest international performances to beat the co-hosts as they clung onto a 3-2 win.
Forwards Bellingham and Anthony Gordon were naturally tipped for the individual award, but former England captain Pearce eventually went for the man between the sticks.
Speaking live on talkSPORT commentary, Pearce admitted: “Pickford was magnificent, Bellingham was outstanding, but I’m going to go for Gordon. He kept Gordon on right till the end.
“He threatened Mexico, he worked tirelessly for the team and I thought he was incredible, but I’m almost begrudgingly picking him because Pickford was so good for so long…
“You know what, I’m changing it. Pickford was magnificent, two wonderful saves. When his team needed him to step up for the last 20 minutes, he was there coming off his line.
“Catching things, punching things, incredible. But I have to give a huge mention to Gordon and Bellingham, I thought they were outstanding as well.”
The rock of the Azteca
Pickford tipped Raul Jimenez’s early diving header around the post, which set the tone for a reassuring performance from England’s No1.
The Everton star helped guide Tuchel’s ten men through one of the toughest fixtures the nation has ever played.
Reflecting on a historic night, Pickford said: “Unreal, you won’t get much better than that. The manager told us to pound the rock, keep knocking the rock down and they’ll crack.
“We were the rock tonight and we didn’t crack. I think that’s the summary, and what a performance. It wasn’t pretty, but it was resilient and it was top level.
“We dug in with 80,000 people in the Azteca. If that doesn’t get the hairs up on the back of your neck, nothing will. That is high-level stuff that we’ve just achieved there.”
Defying the ‘mad man’ label
Pickford has frequently drawn media criticism over the years for his highly animated, passionate style on the pitch, with many people mistaking his intensity for a lack of composure.
There was a lot of noise regarding the England keeper following his earlier performances, especially against DR Congo where Brian Cipenga’s low effort slipped underneath Pickford at his near post.
However, when tensions were high, it was Pickford’s decision-making which got England over the line.
After the match, he said: “There were two high-pressure moments and it’s just about being in that moment, being ready because you know they’re going to keep coming. It’s about being in the right position, just being ready for action.
“We know what a threat Raul Jimenez is in the air, and he showed it tonight and I had to be ready to make saves. The lads in front of the net were going to have to make saves, were going to have to make blocks.
“The lads coming on, [John] Stonesy, Dan Burn, it was an all-round performance. It’s Burnie’s [Dan Burn] World Cup debut tonight, and he’s blocked an overhead kick from point blank from Jimenez.
“It was just like a feeling that you’ll never forget, but that’s the standard we set ourselves and that’s the togetherness we have and we go again.
“Everyone says I’m a mad man, but I think everyone knows I showed my calmness tonight in every moment and every action I did, and that’s the standard I set for myself.”
The greatest to ever do it?
The Sunderland academy graduate made his senior international debut in 2017 and has gone on to earn 89 appearances in total for England, keeping him on track to become a centurion.
He remains the most expensive British goalkeeper of all-time, having moved to Merseyside for ÂŁ25million in 2017.
Pickford has frequently finished in the Premier League’s Golden Glove top five, despite fighting relegation in previous seasons with the Toffees.
Meanwhile, former England goalkeeper Jack Butland insisted it’s time the Three Lions’ No1 receives the recognition his career deserves.
He said: “What Jordan’s done in his time as England goalie is consistently come up with massive moments which have taken us to quarter-finals, semi-finals, and finals of major tournaments.
“He’s come up with big performances in all of those. You need a goalkeeper that’s consistent, he’s exactly that. He’s now the tied appearance holder for World Cups.
“So I don’t think there’s much more you need to ask from him other than what we all want, which is to win the whole thing, but that’s just not down to him.
“So if you’re looking at it impartially and you’re comparing him to what other England goalies have done, he’s done a hell of a lot more than most. And he’s just shy of the great Gordon Banks in terms of trophies.
“So, if he, and we, can go on and do something special in this tournament he should be regarded as one of the best we’ve ever had for sure, if not the best.”
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| đź“° PublicaciĂłn: | talksport.com |
| ✍️ Autor: | Amy Hamerslagh |
| đź“… Fecha Original: | 2026-07-06 18:18:00 |
| đź”— Enlace: | Ver artĂculo original |
Nota de transparencia: Este artĂculo ha sido traducido y adaptado del inglĂ©s al español para facilitar su comprensiĂłn. El contenido se mantiene fiel a la fuente original, disponible en el enlace proporcionado arriba.
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