Pickford vows England will not fall for Argentina's dark arts at World Cup semi-final

Jordan Pickford has warned Argentina that England will not be drawn into the kind of provocation that saw David Beckham sent off against the same opponents 28 years ago, as the two nations prepare to meet in the World Cup semi-finals.

The Everton goalkeeper, now England’s all-time appearance holder at World Cups with 18 caps, acknowledged the fiery history between the sides but insisted Thomas Tuchel’s squad have the composure to rise above it. “I think you’ve seen throughout the tournament our desire to win tackles but we haven’t gotten into any scuffles or anything,” Pickford said. “We’ve been very respectful within the game. Decisions go our way, they don’t go our way, we just reset, we go again and we let the football do the talking.”

Pickford pointed to England’s disciplinary record during the tournament as evidence of that mentality. “Apart from Jarell [Quansah], we’ve not had any suspensions or second yellow cards or anything like that. It just shows the mentality that we have and we don’t get wrapped up in sort of things like that. We stay focused and we stay together.”

The backdrop to the fixture carries unmistakable weight. Beckham was dismissed in the 1998 World Cup round of 16 for kicking out at Diego Simeone, a moment that defined England’s exit and haunted the midfielder for years. This week, Beckham — who allowed England to use Inter Miami’s training facilities ahead of the tournament — was spotted cheering on the Three Lions against Norway at the Hard Rock Stadium, a visible symbol of how far that chapter has been reconciled.

Argentina arrive as reigning world champions and, according to Pickford, will not shy away from using every psychological tool available to them. Yet the goalkeeper was equally clear that England’s focus will remain on the football rather than the referee or the occasion’s combustible history.

“It’s just a game of football and both passionate fans are going there to watch a top-level game of football,” he said. “It brings fans together, it brings the nations together and it’s two proud nations. The football will do its talking and regarding the referees, that’s their job. We can’t control that narrative — it’s about just focusing on the football.”