was the hero during the quarter-final match with Switzerland. The Three Lions' goalkeeper saved one penalty which was enough to see his side reach the next stage of the competition. and his side were once again underwhelming and looked to be going out of the tournament until Bukayo Saka .
This cancelled out Breel Embolo's opener and was ultimately enough to send the game to penalties after extra-time. It was in the shootout that Pickford stepped up and new footage from the stadium has captured his exact moments in the build-up to aiming his one pivotal spot-kick save from Swiss defender Manuel Akanji. Jordan Pickford Saves From Manuel Akanji Of course, Pickford was – which successfully informed him that Akanji would likely shoot to his left – but he still had to get in the right head space to pull off the save.
A video on social media, with over 2.6 million views, has captured exactly what the Everton man was doing to psyche himself up before the key moment. Television cameras usually focus on the penalty kick taker, so it's fascinating to see what the England shot-stopper did in the build-up.
The 30-year-old gestured first at his own head, in dialogue with either himself or someone off-screen, before walking to the goal. He took his time initially, but then immediately marched forward towards the referee who made sure to stop him from engaging directly with Akanji. Pickford, still facing the Swiss defender, then walked backwards, oddly swaying his shoulders – presumabl.
