Watch Jordan Pickford’s belting penalty that nearly ripped the net and helped England beat Switzerland in Uefa Nations League shoot-out
ENGLAND’S goalkeeper was undoubtedly the Pick of the bunch as the Three Lions secured third spot at the Nations League.
Gareth Southgate’s men squandered a host of chances and even had a Callum Wilson goal ruled out by VAR as they were held to a stalemate by Switzerland yesterday.
And that meant it came down to penalties to determine who would be leaving Portugal with the wooden spoon.
Fortunately for England, No1 Pickford was not only able to repeat his heroics from last summer’s World Cup shootout triumph over Colombia, the Everton star went one further.
A roar of excitement swirled around the Estadio D. Afonso Henriques stadium as stopper threw off his gloves and begun striding towards the spot with ball in hand for the fifth kick after all before had been converted.
It could have been a disastrous moment for the former Sunderland ace – but he emphatically thundered it straight into the corner past his opposite number Yann Sommer.
And just moments later he saved Josip Drmic’s sudden death kick to ensure a 6-5 shootout win.
As you can see from the video above, the 25-year-old showed all the composure of a seasoned striker with his finish – but afterwards he did admit his relief at burying his attempt.
Pickford said: “I'm not a normal penalty taker but I just relaxed and trusted my ability.
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“We took off Harry and some of the other lads who take penalties so I wasn't sure, but it's what you practise for.
“It's all about routine and making sure everything goes to perfection.
“I’m just glad that I put it away so I don’t get battered on Twitter.”
