Bukayo Saka makes Kylian Mbappe claim amid defiant penalty message ahead of England vs France
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Arsenal star Bukayo Saka is not lacking in confidence despite last year’s penalty drama.
Saka is currently at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, and he is already seeing plenty of action, most recently starting England’s Round of 16 win over Senegal. The winger has delivered impressive performances so far in the Middle East, continuing the excellent form he has displayed for Arsenal so far this season.
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Hide AdThe Gunners star is hoping to a much better endig to this tournament to the last one, when he missed the decisive penalty in the Euro 2020 final against Italy last year. Rather unfairly, Saka received criticism on the back of the penalty miss, but despite being the tender age of 21, his confidence has not been impacted.
In fact, Saka is ready to take a penalty whenver one may come his way.
“I’ve obviously matured and progressed a lot since that moment,” Saka told Sky Sports. “I wouldn’t have stepped up in the times take penalties for Arsenal if I wasn’t confident. If the moment comes and I’m selected to take one, I’ll be more than happy to.
“To be honest, I feel like personally I’ve tried to move on from that moment. I know I can never really forget as it’s going to be in history but at the same time coming out here and scoring those three goals has lifted me a lot. I keep saying the love from the fans that I keep receiving lifts me a lot and gives me a lot of confidence. I love to see this from the fans.”
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Hide AdEngland go up against France on Saturday in their quarter-final clash, and Kylian Mbappe is the name on everyone’s lips following the PSG star’s brace against Australia over the weekend.
“For me he’s one of the best players in the world. He’s up there,” Saka said of Mbappe. “Of course we know the quality he has and as a team we have to prepare to try and stop him. France have a lot of other quality players and we need to be aware of that.”
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