Possibly one of the greatest nights in your career can turn into your worst nightmare and that’s what happened with Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka last night.
The Arsenal teenager suffered one of the most dreaded moments a professional footballer can go through – missing a crucial penalty during a major tournament shootout final.
England, who were long dreaming of ‘football coming home’ at Euro 2020, suffered a heartbreaking defeat to Italy on penalties at Wembley last night, with Saka’s saved spot-kick being the decisive one.
After the game, Gareth Southgate labelled Arsenal’s 19-year-old a ‘super boy’ and ensured that he will not stand on his own after that moment, as he told Sky Sports.
Arsenal fans have praised the England boss for his actions, who will no doubt come under huge stick for allowing a kid so young to take the fifth penalty of a shootout.
But then again, why didn’t more England players step up and ensure a kid so young is having to take a penalty so high up the order?
From ‘Football is coming home’ to ‘Football is going to Rome’, it seems as though normal service has resumed for England fans across the globe as they suffer a gut-wrenching Euro 2020 final defeat.
A lot felt that Saka was going to start the game yesterday, but Southgate offered to go three at the back, which meant a place on the bench for the Hale-End academy product.
Saka was first-change during the second half of the Wembley final showdown, but just like his teammates, he just couldn’t find any rhythm and he couldn’t get a hold of that ball during the 120 minutes.
In the end, when it comes to penalties, England, more than likely, come up short and that very same scenario faced them last night.
But Southgate’s encouraging words to Saka were praised by the Arsenal faithful.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
