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PICKFORD'S SECRET PENALTY NOTES FOUND BY ARGENTINA. THEY DIDN't EVEN NEED THEM.

Jordan Pickford had a plan. Argentina made sure it was never needed, and then they found it anyway and laughed.

After their stunning 2-1 comeback win over England in the World Cup semifinal, Argentine players discovered Pickford's water bottle on the pitch during post-match celebrations. The England goalkeeper is famous for taping penalty cheat sheets to his bottle, and Wednesday night was no different. He had arrived fully prepared for a shootout with detailed notes on every Argentine taker.

Messi: Fake Left, Dive Right. Montiel: Dive Left. Paredes: Stand Left, Dive Right. Mac Allister: Dive Right. And for Enzo Fernandez, the instruction was simply "Stand Central." When Fernandez read that note, he burst out laughing on the pitch.

Messi and a coaching staff member were filmed examining the bottle together, passing it around in amusement while their teammates celebrated around them.

The beauty of the moment is in the irony. Pickford had prepared perfectly. He had the data. He had the notes. He had the plan. And then Lautaro Martínez headed home in injury time and none of it mattered. England never got their penalties. Argentina got the final instead. And Pickford's cheat sheet became the funniest souvenir of the night.

Argentina face Spain in the World Cup final. Pickford's bottle