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England winger Bukayo Saka says he ‘can never really forget’ missing a penalty in the Euro 2020 final last summer.
The Arsenal youngster was one of three England players to miss their spot-kick in the defeat to Italy in July 2021.
England winger ‘can never really forget’ penalty miss
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Saka has undoubtedly recovered from that moment, with the winger currently sitting on three goals for the 2022 World Cup. Only France icon Kylian Mbappe has more (five).
The Arsenal forward netted a double in the group stage victory over Iran, adding another in the round of 16 win over Senegal.
He says the love from the fans has helped him get back to his best, adding that he is more than ready to take a penalty should the opportunity present itself.
“Personally I’ve tried to move on from that moment,” said Saka, as reported by BBC Sport. “Obviously I know I can never really forget about that – it’s there in history.
“But at the same time coming out here and scoring those three goals, of course, lifted me a lot – and the love from the fans that I keep receiving has lifted me a lot as well and gives me a lot of confidence.
“I have matured and progressed a lot since that moment. I wouldn’t have stepped up the number of times I have for Arsenal if I was not confident.
“If the moment comes and I am selected to take it, I will be more than happy to.”
Three Lions have major tournament experience
At 21, Saka is among several young players in the England squad. He is joined by 19-year-old Jude Bellingham, who is also shining in Qatar.
Other youngsters in Gareth Southgate’s squad include 22-year-olds Phil Foden and Conor Gallagher, with both Mason Mount and Declan Rice just 23 years old.
Despite the youth, Saka is confident going into the quarter-final meeting with France due to the major tournament experience there is among the squad.
“There’s a lot of tournament experience in the squad now,” said Saka. “If you look at the results from the last few tournaments we’ve been in, we’ve got to a semi-final, a final and a quarter-final.
“So when the big games come we have a lot of players who know what they need to do.”
Team success over individual success for England winger
England will come up against star player Mbappe in their quarter-final tie, with the forward in fine form going into the game. He netted four goals in the 2018 tournament, picking up the FIFA Young Player Award in the process.
Saka is also having a fine tournament in Qatar, with the Three Lions winger currently sitting just two goals behind him. When asked if he could be the breakout star of the 2022 World Cup, Saka replied: “Thank you for the compliment, but no.
“There’s only one Kylian Mbappe, but at the same time there’s only one me. I just want to be myself and help my team in the best way I can.
“There are so many young players in this tournament and I can name so many, even in my own team – there’s another young player alongside us doing unbelievably well in Jude Bellingham.
“I’m just happy that we’re all here, all doing well and the priority is to try to win the tournament rather than be the Player of the Tournament or Young Player of the Tournament.”
Recovery in the pool! 💦#threelions pic.twitter.com/63gFn9A4Wr
— England (@England) December 5, 2022
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