England keeper Pickford's penalty shootout 'cheat sheet' water bottle discovered by Argentina

A water bottle containing tactical notes for penalty shootouts became a talking point after Argentina's 2-1 victory over England in the 2026 World Cup semi-final. England's goalkeeper, Jordan Pickford, had prepared the bottle with detailed information on how to face Argentinian penalty takers, should the match go to a shootout.

The notes included specific instructions for key players. For Lionel Messi, the advice was "FAKE LEFT-DIVE RIGHT," while for Thiago Almada, it read "FEEL ON THE DAY." The bottle also contained information on other players, demonstrating a thorough preparation strategy by the English team.

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FEEL ON THE DAY

However, the "cheat sheet" was ultimately not used. Argentina secured their win in regular time with two late goals, negating the need for a penalty shootout. Following the match, Argentinian players discovered the bottle on the field. Luis Martín, Argentina's physical coach, shared a photo of the bottle on social media, commenting, "Unfortunately, we didn't need it."

This was not Pickford's first time using such a tactic. He employed a similar strategy during the Euro 2024 quarter-final against Switzerland, where his notes on penalty takers proved effective. In that match, Pickford successfully saved Manuel Akanji's penalty after his "cheat sheet" advised him to "dive left," which he did, correctly anticipating the shot.

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Unfortunately, we didn't need it.