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Ian Wright and Gary Neville hit out at ‘poor’ Jordan Pickford after England goalkeeper suffered World Cup gaffe against Norway: ‘He HAS to save that’
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36'
Goal Andreas SCHJELDERUP (Norway) scores!!
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45'+2'
Goal Jude BELLINGHAM (England) scores!!
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93'
Goal Jude BELLINGHAM (England) scores!!
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117'
Yellow card Kristoffer AJER (Norway) is booked by
Norway squad
- Selected
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1 Orjan NYLAND Goalkeeper
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3 Kristoffer AJER Defender
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5 David MOLLER WOLFE Defender
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6 Patrick BERG Midfielder
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7 Alexander SORLOTH Forward
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8 Sander BERGE Midfielder
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9 Erling HAALAND Forward
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10 Martin ODEGAARD C Midfielder
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17 Torbjorn HEGGEM Defender
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21 Andreas SCHJELDERUP Midfielder
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26 Julian RYERSON Forward
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2 Morten Thorsby Midfielder
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4 Leo OSTIGARD Defender
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11 Jorgen STRAND LARSEN Forward
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12 Sander TANGVIK Goalkeeper
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13 Egil SELVIK Goalkeeper
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14 Fredrik AURSNES Midfielder
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15 Fredrik Andre BJORKAN Defender
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16 Marcus HOLMGREN PEDERSEN Defender
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18 Kristian Thorstvedt Midfielder
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19 Thelo AASGAARD Midfielder
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20 Antonio NUSA Forward
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22 Oscar BOBB Midfielder
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23 Jens Petter HAUGE Midfielder
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24 Sondre LANGAS Defender
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25 Henrik FALCHENER Defender
England squad
- Selected
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1 Jordan PICKFORD Goalkeeper
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2 Ezri KONSA Defender
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3 Nico OREILLY Defender
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4 Declan RICE Midfielder
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5 John STONES Defender
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6 Marc GUEHI Defender
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8 Elliot ANDERSON Midfielder
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9 Harry KANE C Forward
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10 Jude BELLINGHAM Midfielder
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18 Anthony GORDON Forward
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20 Noni MADUEKE Forward
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7 Bukayo SAKA Forward
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11 Marcus RASHFORD Forward
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12 Trevoh CHALOBAH Defender
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13 Dean Henderson Goalkeeper
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14 Jordan HENDERSON Midfielder
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15 Dan BURN Defender
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16 Kobbie MAINOO Midfielder
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17 Morgan ROGERS Midfielder
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19 Ollie WATKINS Forward
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21 Eberechi EZE Midfielder
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22 Ivan TONEY Forward
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23 James TRAFFORD Goalkeeper
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24 Reece JAMES Defender
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25 Djed SPENCE Defender
- Full squad
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26 Jarell QUANSAH Defender
England advanced past Norway in the quarter-final stage of the World Cup following a narrow 2-1 result that saw attacking midfielder Jude Bellingham deliver two decisive goals. However, the match was marred by a significant mistake from the England goalkeeper, whose failure to keep out a shot became a focal point of post-match analysis and sparked debate among commentators about the team's defensive vulnerabilities.
Prominent football analysts and former players criticised the goalkeeper's performance, suggesting the error represented a moment he should have managed comfortably. The victory itself maintained Thomas Tuchel's tenure as England manager despite mixed displays throughout the encounter, with the team now positioned to face Argentina in the semi-finals after the defending champions overcome Switzerland.
In short
- England progressed to the World Cup semi-finals with a 2-1 victory over Norway in Miami, with Jude Bellingham scoring twice
- Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford faced criticism from analysts Ian Wright and Gary Neville for a crucial error during the match
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Elite international goalkeepers, particularly at World Cups, must execute shots deemed routine by professional standards. Critics like Wright and Neville identified a moment where Pickford fell short of expectations at his level—with England winning only 2-1, that save represents the difference between controlling the match and conceding a preventable goal. Accountability for such moments is essential to competitive football and team improvement.
The case against
Fixating on one error obscures Pickford's broader reliability and England's overall success; the team advanced despite the mistake, suggesting his performance was contextually sound. Goalkeeping involves split-second decisions under intense pressure, and emphasising a single moment can feel disproportionate when the result vindicated the team—fairness requires acknowledging that even elite players experience moments where positioning, reaction time, or fortune don't favour them.
Explained simply
England is competing in the World Cup knockout stages, where matches are single-elimination and defeat means elimination from the tournament. The team faced Norway in the quarter-final, a crucial match where only one team could advance to the semi-finals.
Jordan Pickford is England's goalkeeper, the player responsible for preventing the opposition from scoring. During the match against Norway, he failed to keep out a shot that commentators and analysts believed he should have saved, allowing Norway to score their only goal in England's eventual 2-1 victory.
The error has generated significant criticism because goalkeeping mistakes at this stage of the World Cup are closely scrutinised and can have important consequences. England advanced through goals from attacking midfielder Jude Bellingham, but the goalkeeper's mistake has overshadowed the victory in post-match discussion amongst football analysts.
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