Jordan Pickford didn’t beat himself up after being criticised for his technique when Adnan Januzaj found the net for Belgium in the World Cup Group G game with England.
A curling effort from outside the box shortly after half-time was enough to hand Belgium all three points in a game which saw both managers heavily rotate their teams.
It ultimately ensured that Roberto Martinez’s side would finish top of the group and the teams met again in the third-place play-off, which Belgium won by a scoreline of 2-0.
Pickford has cast his mind back to the first meeting of the teams in Russia during an interview with the Daily Mail this week and despite criticism from ITV pundits Gary Neville and Lee Dixon, the England and Everton goalkeeper has maintained that he doesn’t take negative comments too seriously.
“My mental side of the game is really strong. It doesn’t affect me. Anyone can slate me if they want to,” the former Sunderland stopper said. “I know if I have played well or badly. I always ask my dad and he tells me straight. Other people don’t affect me. It’s just about me becoming better. I still call my old goalkeeper coach, Mark Prudhoe at Sunderland, and he’s very honest with me.
“On Adnan’s goal, it’s instinct. You have a split second. It’s like boxing. If you go with a left hook, he might come over the top and surprise you with a right hook. My reactions are good. It was such a small margin and if I had saved it, everyone would have been saying, ‘What a worldy save!’
“People will criticise me because I am on the top stage. But that’s where I want to be. It was an unbelievable effort by Adnan… it’s just a pity he couldn’t do that when he was at Sunderland!”
