Tides have turned in this Euro 2024 as England has made it to the semifinals of the competition once again. It was another game and another route to a defeat for the Three Lions until the 79th minute when Bukayo Saka brought them back on a level playing field. But it was Jordan Pickford’s efforts that sealed the victory for the 2020 Euro finalists against Switzerland in the quarterfinals. The Everton goalkeeper saved the only penalty miss which proved to be the difference but in a strange fashion.

This will mean that the team will face the Netherlands in the semifinal on Wednesday. Subsequently, it may well make it to the finals despite lurking at an exit in both the knockout games, thanks to a water bottle used by Pickford to assist him in penalties. But how was it possible? Let’s take a look.

What did a water bottle have to do in Jordan Pickford’s save for England?

England achieved an advantage immediately after the penalty shots started with Pickford saving Switzerland’s first shot with Manuel Akanji’s shot. However, he owes it to the water bottle which showed him which direction to dive as revealed in Fabrizio Romano’s recent post. Pickford dived to his left as the instruction was written on his bottle, and his anticipation proved to be correct.

Coming to the penalty, the shot by the Manchester City defender lacked any kind of threat. Arriving at an optimum pace for Pickford, the ball was within the reach of the Englishman. However, it saved the whole team from embarrassment who came into the tournament as one of the favorites. It was a do-or-die for Gareth Southgate who was on the receiving end of fury from both fans and the experts.

The Three Lions were called out for not possessing any attacking instincts in their earlier games. Nonetheless, this match could alter the perspectives of the fans who saw some resilient soccer from England. All their penalty-takers also showed composure, with all their shots going in clean, but it was Pickford’s mastermind that aced the game once again.

The backstory of Pickford’s water bottle strategy and the times it backfired

It wasn’t the first time Jordan Pickford went with the water bottle move for penalties. The England keeper once used it in the Premier League in 2023 to remember the shot directions of Liverpool players Salah, Gakpo, Darwin Nunez, and James Milner. Nevertheless, the game did not see any penalties and Everton lost the game 2-0. The instructions are based on the players’ preferred sides backed by stats from their previous kicks.

Moreover, in an even more bizarre event, Pickford used the same strategy in the 2020 Euros final against Italy. But the list of players on his bottle did not take any of the penalties, with other players being used. Alessandro Florenzi, Giacomo Raspadori, Rafael Toloi, Bryan Cristante, Francesco Acerbi, Alessandro Bastoni, and Gianluigi Donnarumma were assessed by the 30-year-old. But it turned out to be, Jorginho, Leonardo Bonucci, Dominico Berardi, Federico Bernardeschi, and Andrea Belotti who took the shots leading the Azzurri to the title. But is fortune on England and Pickford’s side this time? Can they win their first Euro? Let us know in the comments.