Saka: The pain of the World Cup failure still runs deep within us
London – AFP – Bukayo Saka, the England winger, said the national team still carries an “internal scar” following the painful defeat in the World Cup semifinal against Argentina.
England will kick off its European Nations League campaign against world champions Spain at Wembley Stadium in London on Saturday, September 26, just nine weeks after conceding two late goals in a crushing loss to Lionel Messi’s Argentina in the semifinal in Atlanta.
Saka scored a hat-trick in England’s 6-4 victory over France to secure third place at the World Cup. However, the 25-year-old Arsenal winger explained that the pain of failing to win the men’s senior team’s first major trophy since winning the World Cup on home soil in 1966 remains deep.
Speaking to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Saka said: “It’s clear the scar is still there inside us. When you believed, when everyone was united and extremely confident in our ability to achieve it—not just us, but the whole country.”
He continued: “We are now trying to turn the page and focus on the new international season and what lies ahead. You try to move on as quickly as possible, but a scar remains a scar, and it only heals when the time comes for it to heal.”
Saka added: “But as I said, we are here in a new international season, and we have four very difficult and important group stage matches to qualify in the Nations League, and that is what we are fully focused on.”
Saka suffered from an Achilles tendon injury throughout the World Cup in North America and remained on the bench during the semifinal loss to Argentina, after England manager Thomas Tuchel opted for defensive substitutions in an unsuccessful attempt to preserve a 1-0 lead.
Tuchel faced sharp criticism for his tactical approach after England retreated to defend their lead against Argentina before collapsing in the final minutes in Atlanta.
He continued: “I am my own harshest critic, and sometimes reflection is necessary for improvement, and experience is an essential part of the training process.”
