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Bukayo Saka makes England proud with penalty redemption

How England's hero redeemed himself after a disappointing Euro 2020 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

July 08, 2024

Saka celebrates burying his penalty in the shootout that England won 5-3

England reached their third semi-final in four tournaments on Saturday, beating Switzerland 5-3 in a tense penalty shootout after the quarter-final had ended 1-1.

Trent Alexander-Arnold slammed home the final penalty for the Three Lions, but it was Bukayo Saka whose name made the headlines, fully redeeming himself of his penalty miss in the Euro 2020 final.

  • At just 19 years old, Saka missed the decisive penalty against Italy that cost England the title three years ago.

  • He was subject to a flood of racial abuse on social media after the match, along with fellow Black players Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho.

Despite the abuse, the Arsenal winger won the hearts of the nation during England’s Euro 2020 run with his incredible skill, maturity, and beaming smile. All three were on full display yet again on Saturday, this time as the 22-year-old was England’s best player in a tense quarter-final match that was desperately begging for a moment of individual brilliance.

Saka first found the equalizer for England in the 81st minute with his trademark low curler from outside the box (look away Man United fans).

He then made the same long and lonely walk from the center circle to the penalty spot he made three years ago. This time, Saka coolly found the bottom corner of the net, cupping his ears in celebration as he received an enormous applause from traveling England supporters.

He was named Man of the Match for his performance, saying how proud he was to overcome the fallout from Euro 2020 after receiving the award.

"To come back from something like that was really difficult. I used it to make me stronger. Today I took the chance and I'm happy," Saka said after the match. “It was special, special, how we fought back... Last time we took a penalty shootout at the Euros, you all know what happened. I'm so proud of everyone how we got over the line.”

He's one of our best. So we were never in any question that he was going to take a penalty.

Gareth Southgate on Saka

Saka received an outpouring of support from fans, pundits, and Gareth Southgate, but perhaps the most important words of encouragement came from Sancho. ❤️

Zoom out: While Saka will enjoy the historic win for now, he concedes that England still have “two more games until we can change our lives and make some history.” The Three Lions await a semi-final matchup with the Netherlands on Wednesday, followed by a potential meeting with either France or Spain in Sunday’s final. 🏆