Newcastle United defender Dan Burn has backed his former teammate Anthony Gordon to make a decisive impact when England face Argentina in the World Cup semi-final in Atlanta tonight. The winger, who joined Barcelona for £69.3 million, has bounced back from a slow start to the tournament to register three assists, including two in the last-32 win over DR Congo and one in the quarter-final against Norway.
Burn's Confidence in Gordon
Burn, who shared a dressing room with Gordon for three years at Newcastle, told reporters in the US: "I've played with Anthony a long, long time, and I think he always performs when there's more and more pressure on. I was really happy with how he did against Norway. Every time he got the ball, he was positive, and he got at the full-backs, so yeah, I'm delighted."
England's Quest for History
England are aiming to reach their first-ever World Cup final on foreign soil, having only previously played a global showpiece at Wembley in 1966. The team arrived in Atlanta amid heavy rain, with large groups of Argentina and England fans gathering across the city. Local police were forced to disperse crowds of Argentina supporters as the night wore on.
Burn Admits England Have Room for Improvement
Burn acknowledged that England have yet to hit their peak performance. "I don't think we've played at the top level we can yet, but I think we've shown that we can win lots of different ways," he said. "Lads coming into the team. I think you saw people were dead on their legs at the end there. But I'm delighted to go through. If we're going to want to win this thing, we're going to have to perform to the best of our ability."
Burn Apologises for Challenge on Ostigard
Burn also issued an apology after a controversial challenge on former teammate Leo Ostigard during the quarter-final. The 6ft 7in defender clattered into Ostigard and then stepped over him twice while he lay on the ground. Burn said: "I was in a bit of my own world to be honest. I've seen the video back and I used to play with Leo, the guy who I end up clattering with the header. I didn't really know what I'd done in the moment. I watched back and I thought, 'Oh, it's not great,' so I texted Leo after and just said, 'Mate, I didn't mean to be disrespectful. I was just like fired up,' and he was like, 'Yeah, I get that, it's no problem.'"
Burn added: "When that ball's in the air, my eyes lit up a little bit and I just wanted to go for it and do my part for the team."
