Jordan Pickford’s detailed penalty notes for Argentina’s players were never put to use after England’s 2-1 defeat in normal time to Lionel Messi’s side in the World Cup semi-final in Atlanta.
The England goalkeeper had prepared a penalty “cheat sheet,” which was taped to his water bottle, in anticipation of a possible shootout. However, Argentina secured victory before penalties were needed, with the notes later discovered by Messi and his teammates during their post-match celebrations.
England took the lead through Anthony Gordon, but Enzo Fernández equalised before Argentina struck a late winner to book a place in Sunday’s World Cup final against Spain.
According to talkSPORT, Pickford’s cheat sheet listed every Argentina player alongside tailored instructions on how he intended to approach each penalty.
Some notes suggested delaying his dive or feinting one way before committing, while others were more concise.
For attacking midfielder Thiago Almada, Pickford reportedly wrote that he would rely on instinct if the midfielder stepped up.
For Messi, who had missed a penalty earlier in the tournament, Pickford’s plan was to initially shape to dive one way before going the other, anticipating that the Argentina captain might alter his usual penalty routine.
