Burn’s blocks, Pickford’s punches: the data behind England’s defensive heroics | World Cup 2026
By: Andrew Beasley | Published: 2026-07-06 15:29:38 | Source: www.theguardian.com
Was this England’s best performance since 1966? On the surface, England conceded 20 shots in their 3-2 win against Mexico at the Azteca Stadium – which sounds alarming.
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Yet if you drill into the numbers, the 19 non-penalty shots they faced were collectively worth only 1.09 expected goals (xG). Thomas Tuchel’s men defended superbly.
It was inevitable that they would need to do so once…
