Let's be honest, nobody saw this coming. Not from Anthony Gordon, anyway. The former Newcastle United winger, who only last month completed his blockb...
Let's be honest, nobody saw this coming. Not from Anthony Gordon, anyway. The former Newcastle United winger, who only last month completed his blockbuster move to Barcelona, has spent much of this summer's World Cup watching on from the bench, a peripheral figure in a squad teeming with attacking talent. But in a semi final against Argentina, with the nation holding its breath and the pressure cranked to eleven, he made the one contribution that matters most. A goal.It was a moment of pure, clinical finishing. The kind that separates the lads who fill their boots against San Marino in qualifiers from the men who write their names into folklore. Gordon received the ball in a pocket of space just inside the Argentina half. He took one touch to set himself, a second to compose, and then unleashed a low, driven effort that arrowed past the despairing dive of the goalkeeper. The net bulged. Wembley, or wherever this particular semi final is being staged, erupted. For a player whose summer has been defined by a transfer saga rather than his performances on the pitch, it was the sweetest, most emphatic redemption.For Argentina, this is a bitter pill to swallow. They had set up in their familiar disciplined low block, absorbing pressure and looking to break with pace. Lionel Messi, as ever, was the fulcrum, but England's midfield, marshalled by Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham, refused to let him dictate. Gareth Southgate's tactical flexibility has been questioned all tournament, but here he got it spot on. He trusted Gordon, a player who thrives on transitional play, to be the difference maker. And he was. The former Magpie did not just score; he delivered a statement. A reminder that even when you are not the headline act, you can still steal the show. Squeaky bum time You bet. But for England, it was a moment of pure, unadulterated ecstasy.
