“Fuck you,” the Mexico manager Javier Aguirre shouted at Anthony Gordon, before creasing up with laughter. The England winger, 25, saw the funny side. “It was a bit of fun,” Gordon recalled. “I’d just run the full-back down the line so it was a bit of a compliment from him.” But trust the Liverpool-born forward to use even an insult as fuel. It is what he has always done – from his childhood in Liverpool to the £60.7m transfer to Barcelona from Newcastle at the end of May. And it is driving him before Saturday’s World Cup quarter-final against Norway in Miami.
Gordon had started brightly at the Azteca Stadium on Sunday but his evening got better. He was involved in the move for Jude Bellingham’s second goal, then won the critical penalty that Harry Kane converted, helping England to a 3-2 win despite playing a man down after Jarell Quansah’s red card. “It was an amazing memory,” Gordon said, “but in reality that’s not what we came here for, just to win that game. I don’t want it to feel like that was the final.”
“Anthony Gordon warns England not to dwell on Mexico win before Norway quarter-final.”
Gordon knows the danger of emotional highs. He carried frustration from Euro 2024 – where he made only one appearance, as an 89th-minute substitute against Slovenia – into this tournament. After a poor start to the World Cup, he has recovered to play a key role. He desperately wanted the No 11 shirt, but got No 18, the same as at the Euros. “I didn’t enjoy it at the time but I can use that for experience,” he said.
Now he has warned his teammates not to dwell on the Azteca triumph. “The minute we start looking at the outcome, the trophy, the medals – all the superficial stuff – is when we will fall off track,” Gordon said. “We need to really focus on the process.” He also stressed that Norway – who beat Brazil – are a huge threat. “To be honest, it was not a big shock for me,” he said. “Norway can change a game really quickly.” England must move on, he insisted: “Getting praise can drain you the same way [as criticism] so we really need to move on from that.”