As Switzerland’s Manuel Akanji stepped up to take the first penalty of the shootout against England, he looked like a nervous wreck.
With a place in the European Championship semi-finals on the line, Jordan Pickford took his time and gingerly made his way to his goal. He knew just how important the first kick was and wanted to do everything in his power to delay it being taken for as long as possible, forcing Akanji to think about his attempt just a little while longer. Having already taken almost 20 seconds to get himself set in goal, Pickford attempted one last distraction technique, walking toward Akanji in a last-ditch effort to intimidate the Swiss defender.
Italian referee Daniele Orsato had already aggressively gestured for Pickford to get in his goal several times and he quickly intervened, emphatically telling the England goalkeeper to get back to his line or risk a booking.
By that point, almost a minute had elapsed since Cole Palmer had successfully converted England’s first kick and, as it turned out, Akanji had good reason to be as nervous as he was — Pickford already knew where the 28-year-old was going before he even hit the ball.
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