Argentina’s dramatic victory over England in the World Cup semi-finals generated yet another fascinating story after the final whistle.
Lionel Messi and several teammates were seen gathering around Jordan Pickford’s water bottle and studying the information attached to it as the defending champions celebrated a 2-1 win in Atlanta.
The bottle reportedly contained research on England’s penalty shoot-outs, as well as notes on where Argentina’s potential penalty kickers usually take their spot kicks.
Although the match did not reach a penalty shootout, the moment provided a glimpse of the meticulous preparation behind a major international match.
Messi and teammates discover Pickford’s penalty note
Messi and several Argentina players got a close look at the Pickford bottle during the post-match celebrations, according to footage shared on social media.
The memo reportedly lists various Argentine players’ preferred direction of penalties, giving England’s goalkeeper guidance on where to dive.
The incident was also covered by the Times of India, which reported that footage of players inspecting England’s private penalty investigation quickly went viral online.
In the end, Argentina scored two goals late in the game to avoid a penalty shootout and came back 2-1 to advance to the final.
There is no suggestion that the players accessed the information before or during the potential shootout.
Rather, it seems to have been a casual discovery after a match where the outcome was already decided.
Bottle strategy shows England’s careful preparation
Pickford has regularly used canteen notes during major tournaments.
Yahoo Sports previously revealed similar instructions came in handy during England’s Euro 2024 quarter-final win over Switzerland, with the bottles containing research on each of their opponents’ players.
The moment was funny, but it also showed how seriously England are preparing for any outcome.
Studying penalties has become a normal part of elite football, and Pickford’s bottle was just a tool designed to give him a small advantage.
Argentina may have enjoyed discovering England’s plans afterwards, but they rendered that information meaningless by winning before penalties were needed.
After all, the best way to defeat a goalie’s carefully studied shootout strategy is to ensure that the game never boils down to one point.
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