ENGLAND goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has received the Euro 2020 Golden Glove award – despite final defeat to Italy.
The 27-year-old kept five clean sheets during the tournament, two more than Italian stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Pickford picked up the award after stopping Croatia, Scotland, Czech Republic, Germany and Ukraine from scoring.
He conceded just two goals during the tournament, the first being Denmark star Mikkel Damsgaard’s stunning free-kick in the semi-final.
Switzerland stopper Yann Sommer made the most saves at the Euros – 21 – with Pickford not appearing near the top of that list.
The Everton goalkeeper’s lack of action is testament to England’s defence, with a couple of defenders likely to be named in the team of the tournament.
Pickford has enjoyed a stellar summer, breaking the England record for most minutes without conceding.
He went 725 minutes without letting one in, surpassing Gordon Banks’ tally of 720 minutes – set during the World Cup in 1966.
JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET A FREE £10 BONUS WITH 100s OF GAMES TO PLAY AND NO DEPOSIT REQUIRED (Ts&Cs apply)
But it did NOT prove to be a good omen as Italy defeated England at Wembley to win the Euros for the second time.
The game finished 1-1 after 90 minutes, with Leonardo Bonucci cancelling out Luke Shaw’s opener.
It went to penalties after neither team managed to get ahead in extra-time and Pickford heroically saved two – but England missed three.
The goalkeeper’s form has improved significantly since he grew his hair out at the beginning of the year.
Pickford has also matched Iker Casillas’ clean sheet record at the Euros, with the Spain goalkeeper letting just five in at Euro 2012.
⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
