Bukayo Saka said he was “delighted” to get the chance to take the penalty despite his shootout error that cost England the Euro 2020 final against Italy at Wembley. The ‘pross’ will face France on Saturday in the quarterfinals of the World Cup in Qatar.
Saka was pelted with racist insults after that game for his decisive error but Arsenal look ready to try again.
“I have matured and developed a lot, as a person and as a player, since then. I wouldn’t have decided to take penalties at Arsenal as many times as I did if I didn’t have the confidence. If the time comes and they ask. If I get one, I’ll be more than happy.” he said today in a press conference. Saka scored a goal on Sunday in a 3-0 win over Senegal in the round of 16 and has three more at the World Cup in Qatar.
“Now, there’s a lot of big tournament experience in the squad. If you look at the results of the last tournaments we’ve been to, we’ve been to the semifinals, the final, now the quarterfinals… When it comes to the big games, we have a lot of players who know what to do,” Saka recalled.
Asked if this tournament could serve as a catapult for him, like Kylian Mbappé did in the 2018 World Cup won by France, the 21-year-old English striker smiled: “Thanks for the compliment, but no . There is only one Kylian Mbappé, but only me. I want to be myself and help my team as much as I can.”
“There are many good youngsters in this tournament and I can name a few of them, including in my team where Jude Bellingham is playing incredibly well. win the tournament, not win the award for the best youth or best player”, concluded Saka.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
