Jude Bellingham appeared far from impressed with Jordan Pickford after the Everton goalkeeper failed to stop Enzo Fernandez's long-range strike in England's World Cup semi-final against Argentina
BBC Sport
Jude Bellingham appeared to be angry with Jordan Pickford(Image: BBC Sport)
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Jude Bellingham appeared to angrily exclaim "it's the middle of the goal," after Argentina equalised against England in their World Cup semi-final, pointing the blame at Jordan Pickford.
The Everton goalkeeper failed to prevent Enzo Fernandez from scoring Argentina's equaliser from range following a short corner, despite launching himself full-length to his right. The strike levelled matters after ex-Everton winger Anthony Gordon had opened the scoring for England.
Bellingham seemed to be viewing replays of the Fernandez goal on screens within the stadium in Atlanta. He hadn't witnessed the shot go in at the time as he was the sole player attempting to close down Fernandez.
Yet after seeing it again, Bellingham appeared distinctly unimpressed with Pickford, as his reaction was caught on camera.
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Pundit Gary Neville also swiftly criticised the Everton shot-stopper. Speaking on the Stick to Football World Cup Watch Party, the former Manchester United and Three Lions defender said: "Not gone in the corner, that, he's got to save that. Got to save it. He's past it."
Neville also pulled up Pickford for failing to catch a shot earlier in the contest, saying: "Don't let him shoot from there. Got to catch that. It's straight at him. Honestly, it's going over as well."
Neville's former Manchester United team-mate Roy Keane, however, chose to credit Fernandez. He said: "What a strike, what a strike that is. 'Keeper gets nowhere near it, look at the 'keeper, he's nowhere near it. It's the power."
Pickford wasn't the only one receiving criticism from Neville, though. Prior to the goal, he said: "We have stopped playing, we've sat back. We're sleeping, we're sleeping."
Keane also found the winning goal scored by Lautaro Martinez entirely foreseeable, remarking: "I said he was going to score, didn't I say he was going to score?".
"Martinez was going to score with the header, didn't I say? It's all down the right-hand side [to Messi]. What a game. I said Martinez would score. What an option he is off the bench."
He went on to say: "Give credit where it's due - it's his [Messi's] weaker foot.
"We are watching greatness here, I am telling you. We are watching greatness, appreciate it, seriously."
It emerged that Keane had correctly called the final scoreline, with Ian Wright conceding: "You had 2-1 Argentina..." Grinning in response, the Irishman posed the rhetorical question: "Who had 2-1 Argentina? Me?".
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