$1.1bn World Cup stadium’s unusual feature blamed for England conceding ‘surprise’ goal

The air conditioning inside the AT&T Stadium has been suggested as having an effect on Jordan Pickford’s chances of saving Croatia’s first goal.

That was the verdict of talkSPORT commentator Jim Proudfoot, who admitted he was surprised the England No.1 did not save it.

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The Three Lions opened their World Cup campaign by beating Croatia 4-2 on Wednesday night, which was arguably their toughest group stage test.

Despite going in level at half-time, the Three Lions emerged reborn in the second half.

Thomas Tuchel‘s men looked strong in attack, as Harry Kane scored twice in the first half and was complemented by second-half goals from Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford.

However, any time England lost possession they looked alarmingly vulnerable, allowing Croatia to equalise twice in the opening half.

One player who underperformed was Pickford as he conceded two goals, with many fans expecting him to save Martin Baturina’s opening strike.

He got a hand to the first equaliser, but the power of the strike proved too much for the Three Lions keeper.

The Everton man could have broken his own clean sheet record for England but was denied the chance to complete the feat after only 36 minutes.

Tuchel even let rip at Pickford during the first half, with pitchside reporters heard the Three Lions boss saying ‘you know what you’re supposed to do, do as I told you’.

The 32-year-old did make a key contribution late on to deny substitute Marco Pasalic in the second-half.

That’s why he was only given a 5/10 in Adrian Durham’s England player ratings.

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Playing through the heat

talkSPORT commentator Jim Proudfoot analysed Pickford’s opening World Cup game and suggested the AT&T’s air conditioning may have had an effect on the ball.

Speaking on the talkSPORT Daily Podcast, he said: “I’m very surprised the first goal went past him having seen the replay. Even though it was hit with brute force, you can see he got a hand to it.

“It hit the inside of his hand and went in through the space between his head and his hand as he dived.

“Maybe there was a bit more movement with these match balls. I don’t know whether air conditioning may play a part in that because altitude does.

“I was surprised it went past him, I’m sure most keepers in the tournament would be frustrated and I’m sure Pickford is disappointed with it.

“However, it wasn’t just down to him, there was a catalogue of errors leading up to the goal.”

$1.1billion stadium

Due to the soaring temperatures of North America during the tournament, each team has been allocated a three-minute ‘hydration break’.

Texas is one of the hottest states in America, with temperatures expected to hit the low thirties.

However, due to thunderstorms, the humidity is high, with the temperature feeling more like 40C

On the other hand, the extreme heat would not have bothered Tuchel’s squad due to the air conditioning inside the Dallas stadium.

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Most importantly, owing to these conditions, there are only three host cities which have air conditioning inside their venues, including Atlanta, Houston and Dallas – something which is not an option for the players in England.

It is one of the largest, most technologically advanced stadiums in the world, costing over $1billion (£750million) to build.

The air circulation through the cooling systems have been known to affect ball movements and change pitch conditions.

However, the benefit of temperature regulation for the athletes during the game is deemed to be more beneficial than the downside of slight ball movement.