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MOSCOW (AP) – The research has paid off for Jordan Pickford.
When Carlos Bacca showed up to take Colombia's fifth and final penalty, Pickford knew he was probably going to shoot to the left.
The 24-year-old goalkeeper, in only his seventh appearance in England, trusted his research and jumped. The search was not enough on his own – he also needed quick reactions to shoot his left arm to catch up with Bacca's high shot.
Thanks to this judgment, Eric Dier, of England, was able to win the shooting. England sank 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
"I've done a whole lot of research," said Pickford, his confidence in the air. "(Radamel) Falcao is the only one who has not followed his path.I do not care if I am not the greatest guardian of the world.I have the power and the l & # 39; agility. "
Pickford was only two years old when England won a shootout on penalties, a few more days when England coach Gareth Southgate missed the decisive penalty in a defeat in the semifinals of the European Championship in Germany. This home defeat was almost considered a national trauma, as was the penalty inflicted on Argentina two years later.
Last year, Pickford did not appear as one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League and made his England debut in November. But he quickly became part of Gareth Southgate's new generation of English talent.
At 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 meters), Pickford is small for a World Cup goalkeeper.
"A first-clbad backup – I'm surprised he can reach it, given his size," said Southgate about saving the Bacca penalty.
"His athleticism around the goal is excellent and again he executed the planning in the penalty shoot-outs.We had studied all their penalty takers.A great credit to a collective of employees and to him for to have taken this information and to prepare in the right way.You do not always get what you deserve in life, but I think tonight we did it.
An evening that ended with such frantic energy, Pickford had little to do earlier.
Colombia was on the defensive for most of the first half and did not bite in the attack. England took the lead of a penalty from Harry Kane in the 57th and Colombia came back in force. During play-offs, Mateus Uribe fired a long-range shot and Pickford jumped to prevent him from reaching out with an outstretched hand, sending him off the goal and making some noise in the billboards .
Pickford could do nothing for the next corner. Colombian defender Yerry Mina climbed over Harry Maguire and took the lead despite Kieran Trippier's free kick. The additional time and the penalties arose, and the fans felt the weight of these 22 years without victory in shootings.
After the 90 minutes, "We just reset and go" Bang, we go back and as long as it takes "As the gaffer said,` If it takes longer, if it takes some penalties, we will win this game, "said Pickford. "It's a bit of a lottery, but you can do your research."
This was not just the miserable record of England that seemed to stack the odds against the team. His penalty shooters lacked experience in major tournaments – though none of the penalty shooters were involved in those shootout losses – and had to watch in a booth full of raucous Colombian fans.
While the Briton David Ospina was taciturn, Pickford was a ball of energy. He jumped and jiggled on the line.
Falcao sent Pickford dive headlong into the unguarded center. Juan Cuadrado placed the ball high, well beyond Pickford's reach. Luis Muriel sent him dive the wrong way.
With England 3-2 and facing elimination, Pickford jumped to hit the crossbar while Mateus Uribe showed up, and the Colombian blew the ball into the bar.
Trippier raised the score to 3-3, and Pickford was found against Bacca. After saving from the front of AC Milan, he squatted on the side of the penalty area, like a frog in his green uniform. Dier hit the winning penalty down and left for England and Pickford's teammates charged him to celebrate in a group hug.
The joy of victory was based on self-confidence, Pickford said.
"Our state of mind and our mentality, we never stopped," he said. "We knew we had that match even though it was sanctioned."
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John Leicester and Frank Griffiths contributed to this report.
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James Ellingworth is at https://twitter.com/jellingworth
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