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Published 06 July 2024 4 min read
England Men's Senior Team

Saka 'proud' to star as England reach final four

Written by:

Adam Drury

The winger scored a superb equaliser before dispatching his penalty as the Three Lions win on spot-kicks

Match report: Switzerland v England

Bukayo Saka was thrilled to dispatch a crucial penalty as England beat Switzerland on spot-kicks in the EURO 2024 quarter-final.

Saka was also the Three Lions' hero during normal time, scoring a superb equaliser in a 1-1 draw to take the game to extra time.

Having also played in a multitude of positions, it was a stellar evening for the Arsenal star.

He said: "It was special how we fought back to go to penalties. Last time we had a penalty shoot-out at the EUROs [2020 final v Italy] we know what happened.

Bukayo Saka embraces Gareth Southgate after England beat Switzerland at EURO 2024
Bukayo Saka embraces Gareth Southgate after England beat Switzerland at EURO 2024

"I have faith in God, to come back from something like that was really difficult. I used it to make me stronger and today I took the chance so I’m happy. I'm so proud of everyone that we got over the line.

"I believed, I felt like we dominated the whole game. The chance would come and it did come, I was the one who took it so I’m proud of myself for that."

With a semi-final to come in Dortmund on Wednesday, Saka is delighted England are still fighting.

He said: "I think it shows how much we want to win this tournament. The last two games we’ve been 1-0 down in the late stages and we’ve come back.

"Hopefully next game we can win in 90 minutes but if this is what it takes, we’ll do anything."