KEY POINTS

  • Bukayo Saka has netted three goals for England in 2022 World Cup
  • Saka faced racial abuse after missing penalty in Euro 2022 final
  • England are set to take on France in the quarter-final

Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka has said he would be "more than happy" if he has to take a penalty against France in the World Cup quarter-final.

Saka was one of three players who missed the target in England's Euro Cup final defeat to Italy last year. Apart from Saka, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho also missed their penalties at Wembley. They were subjected to online racist abuse after that.

However, the Arsenal star said the "love from the fans" has helped him regain his confidence.

"Personally I've tried to move on from that moment. Obviously, I know I can never really forget about that - it's there in history. But at the same time coming out here and scoring those three goals, of course, lifted me a lot - and the love from the fans that I keep receiving has lifted me a lot as well and gives me a lot of confidence," Saka said in an interview.

In the ongoing World Cup in Qatar, Saka has already contributed with three goals: Two against Iran in a group game and one against Senegal in the Round of 16. The 21-year-old midfielder went into the World Cup on the back of a fine performance with Arsenal. Saka has netted five goals and six assists for the Gunners in 20 matches in all competitions.

"I have matured and progressed a lot since that moment. I wouldn't have stepped up the number of times I have for Arsenal if I was not confident. If the moment comes and I am selected to take it, I will be more than happy to," added Saka in the same interview.

England will take on reigning champions France in the quarter-final Saturday. The Three Lions have nothing to fear ahead of the big fixture, according to Saka.

"There's a lot of tournament experience [in the squad] now. If you look at the results from the last few tournaments we've been in, we've got to a semi-final, a final, and a quarter-final. So when the big games come we have a lot of players who know what they need to do," said Saka.

Bukayo Saka scored Arsenal's winner at Leeds
AFP

With five goals, French forward Kylian Mbappe is the leading scorer in the 2022 World Cup, while Saka is joint-second with three.