By Bobby Manzi and Aaron Jaffe
“You can fail once but you have a choice whether you put yourself in that position again and I am a guy who is going to put myself in that position.”
The wise words of a 22-year-old, a mere twenty minutes after yet another intense match that Bukayo Saka has excelled in.
Many expected Saka to ‘sacrifice’ his advanced winger role to play left wing-back in a new-look system for Gareth Southgate, but the 53-year-old stuck to his instincts and left the Arsenal man in his familiar role - a move that ultimately rewarded the England boss when he needed it the most.
Having conceded first once again, this time Breel Embolo capitalising on a defensive error from John Stones, it was up to an England player to create a moment - a moment that would unite a nation after 79 minutes of anguish and frustration where the Three Lions dominated possession, but struggled to carve an opening.
Saka, as he did with a stunning international hat-trick against North Macedonia, as he did winning back-to-back England Player of the Year awards, was on hand to deliver the moment for the nation. Taking the ball in his stride from Arsenal teammate Declan Rice, he took Michel Aebischer out of the equation with a deft shoulder feint and cut inside, before launching a blistering effort, ricocheting off the left post and into the back of the net.
It is familiar territory for Saka - after all, he has done it time and time again for Arsenal, whether it be against Bayern Munich in the Champions League or Manchester United in the Premier League.
From the boy who was broken three years ago, to one that has silenced his doubters and installed himself as a national hero. The 22-year-old has transformed his standing, he ascended as the saviour after being exploited as the scapegoat for so long. That moment on Sunday evening, the moment that sent the 40,000 England fans in Dusseldorf berserk, will be etched into the history of English football for many years to come - especially if Southgate’s side go all the way.
The 22-year-old has shown consistency at club level, making 25 goal contributions in each of the last two seasons for Mikel Arteta’s title hopefuls.
But his ability to tackle adversity, turning the biggest critics into the biggest admirers, has won over the hearts of the nation. Only three years ago, the young starlet was painted as the scapegoat - the man at blame for England’s heartbreaking loss to Italy at Wembley in the EURO Final. Now, he is one of the Three Lions’ most confident penalty takers, having scored every one for his club during the regular season.
Standing tall, Saka now takes more time to compose himself before he steps up to the stage. The lengthy pause may seem to exert nervousness, but the Arsenal forward uses it to remain composed, knowing the target he has picked and accepting the outcome.
“No, I’m not going to be focusing on the past,” Saka shared after the victory in Dusseldorf. “That’s done. I can only focus on now and taking the penalty, of course. I know there’s a lot of nervous people watching, my family included in the crowd, but I kept my cool and I scored.”
Saka has faced affliction throughout his professional career with a frequent bombardment of racial abuse, which hit its highest point after he missed a penalty in the final of Euro 2020. In recent months, the winger has also been used as a scapegoat for England’s poor performances - such as against Iceland when the winger only featured for 25 minutes off the bench. Yet, he was the focus image on numerous newspaper back pages and sports sites.
However, his performance in Dusseldorf was one to silence the doubters, when the country needed someone to step up, it was Saka who did so. He took the weight of the nation upon his shoulders and carried The Three Lions to the semi-final of Euro 2024.
His performance was truly world-class: he played without fear, always looked to get his team forward, constantly had the beating of his man, scored a phenomenal solo goal and dispatched one of the penalties that well and truly got England on their way.
Saka possesses a rebounding character - whenever he’s knocked down, he comes back bigger and better with Sunday’s performance showing exactly that. In an England side who haven’t been efficient with the ball this campaign, Saka’s exhibition in the quarter-final will have the Englishman brimming with confidence heading into the final week of the tournament with his self belief at its highest level.
Fortunately for Gareth Southgate, even when England haven’t been at their best, they’ve had individuals take the game by the scruff of the neck and ensure the country make it to the next round. The displays haven’t always been pretty with England often being wasteful with the ball.
However, what they have had is attacking efficiency. An efficiency which has seen The Three Lions take their chances. For a team with an abundance of attacking talent, they don’t create much - scoring five goals with just over an xG of four - but, what that has created is a faith among the squad, a faith that if they persevere with their methodology, they’ll find a way, create that opening, and so far when the moment has risen they’ve taken it - with both Saka and Bellingham saving the nation from the brink of defeat at the tournament.
England face The Netherlands in Dortmund on Wednesday with a spot in the Euro 2024 final up for grabs. Saka will once again be hoping to steal the show as Southgate's side look to reach their first overseas major tournament final.
