Nigel de Jong has offered words of support to Arsenal talent Bukayo Saka after his penalty woe for England on Sunday night.
England were in a first final for 55 years, but there was a certain inevitability about the game ending in defeat on penalties.
Luke Shaw had fired England into a dramatic early lead before a Leonardo Bonucci equaliser, and neither side could find a winner in extra time.
Andrea Belotti and Jorginho failed from the spot for Italy, but it didn’t matter in the end as Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Saka all failed too.
Saka’s effort was saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma, handing Italy the win in a disappointing night for Gareth Southgate’s men.
Saka showed remarkable bravery to take a spot kick given his relative inexperience on this kind of stage, but has sadly received abuse on social media.
Arsenal and England teammates will be attempting to rally around Saka, and pundit Nigel de Jong – a former Premier League winner with Manchester City – has offered his support.
De Jong admitted that Saka was ‘brave’, but feels Gareth Southgate made a ‘bad decision’ in letting him take the last penalty.
De Jong noted that Saka is at the beginning of a ‘glorious’ career, and hopes England stand by him in the face of criticism online.
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