English media react to Jordan Pickford display after England loss v France
Jordan Pickford has been praised by the English media after the Everton goalkeeper made a number of important saves in England’s World Cup defeat to France.
The 28-year-old could do nothing with both goals as Aurélien Tchouaméni’s fierce first-half strike and Olivier Giroud’s bullet header sent Didier Deschamps’ side through to the last four.
It was far from plain sailing for France with England dominating large periods of the game, and Pickford has been praised for producing some fine saves, with his stop from Giroud in the second half being the highlight.
The Telegraph (10 December)praised the 28-year-old’s “smart” save to deny the veteran striker and gave Pickford a 7/10 for his performance.
The Daily Mail also gave the Everton shot-stopper 7/10 and was full of praise for his “great” stop to deny Adrien Rabiot’s second-half volley, and The Independent suggested the keeper has had an “excellent” tournament in Qatar and was not to blame for the defeat on Saturday evening.
Tough to take
This will be a really tough one to take for Pickford, with the Three Lions being in with a genuine chance of winning the tournament in Qatar. France should now go on to retain the trophy, but they will do so knowing that the England clash was their toughest test by far and the game that won them the tournament.
Many had suggested the winner of the fixture will go on to win the trophy, and that now would seem the likely outcome. Had Harry Kane put his second-half penalty into the back of Hugo Lloris’ net, things could have been very different.
Pickford will still be primed to be England’s number one for the European Championships in Germany and that now looks like the ideal tournament for the Three Lions to finally end their wait for some silverware. Gareth Southgate’s side are more than capable of winning a major trophy, it’s now just about getting the fine details right in high-pressure moments.