Bukayo Saka’s Brilliant Interview After England’s Win vs Switzerland

Bukayo Saka said that his faith helped him to bounce back from disappointment at Euro 2021, after he netted in England’s shoot-out victory over Switzerland at Euro 2024. Saka was only a teenager when he missed the penalty that handed Italy victory in the European Championship final three years ago.

After that game, Saka was one of three young black players who were subjected to vile racist abuse by online trolls. The vast majority of the country rallied around Saka, as well as Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho, and in England’s first major tournament shoot-out since that defeat by Italy, the Arsenal man showed nerves of steel to step up and dispatch the Three Lions’ third penalty.

Saka Speaks After QF Heroics

Star scored in normal time and netted in shoot-out

England scored all five of their penalties in the shoot-out against Switzerland, with Cole Palmer, Jude Bellingham, Ivan Toney and Trent Alexander-Arnold also finding the net, and Saka said afterwards that the incident in 2021 only served to strengthen his mentality. “I have faith in God. To come back from something like that was really difficult,” Saka told the BBC. “I used it to make me stronger but today I took that chance and I’m happy.”

Saka has had plenty of high points with England, but he ranked his contribution to the quarter-final victory over the Swiss among his very best moments for the national team. Saka scored the goal that ultimately got England to penalties, equalising from long distance in the 80th minute after Breel Embolo had opened the scoring for the underdogs.

Saka Says Swiss Game was ‘Special’

Win among winger’s England highlights

“I’m going to put it up there, I’m going to put it up there, for sure. It was special, special,” he added. “You know how we fought back, to go to penalties as well… the last time we went to penalties at the Euros, we all know what happened, so yeah I’m so proud of everyone that we got over the line.

“I believed [we would still get a chance after going behind in normal time]. I felt like we dominated the whole game and that the chances would come, and it did come, and I was the one that took it and I’m proud of myself as well for that.”

Euro 2024 remaining fixtures

Match
Location
When

Spain vs France (semi-final)
Munich
9 July, 8pm BST

Final
Berlin
14 July, 8pm BST

England have now come from a goal down in each of their knockout games in Germany, and Saka is hopeful of a regulation-time victory in the semi-finals on Wednesday. “I think it (England’s successive comebacks) shows how much we want to win this tournament. In the last two games, we’ve been 1-0 down in the late stages and we’ve come back. Hopefully, the next game we can win in 90 minutes, but if this is what it takes then we’ll do anything. ”