Bukayo Saka shines on Euro debut

England manager Gareth Southgate’s decision to pick Arsenal teenager Bukayo Saka instead of the more experienced Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho for their final Group D game against Czech Republic on Tuesday did raise eyebrows.

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England had already been assured of a place in the next round ahead of the game at Wembley but needed a win to seal the top spot. And Sancho was expected to get his first start of Euro 2020.

Instead, Southgate chose Saka. The 19-year-old didn’t disappoint, putting in a man-of-the-match display as England won 1-0. Saka’s calm and poise on the ball was the highlight of another rather uneventful game.

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It was Saka’s first game at the championship and fifth for England. He played a big part in the goal too. It is Jack Grealish who got the assist for Raheem Sterling’s header but before Grealish’s cross from the left it was Saka’s driving run from the English half on the other side and his dribble that helped break the Czech lines. Saka then drew a defender towards him at the time of Grealish’s cross to create space for Sterling.

It was the second time that Saka won the man-of-the-match award at a game in Wembley, the previous occasion was during a 3-0 win over Ireland in November. “I am a local boy. I’ve gone past the stadium millions of times,” Saka told reporters after the game.

“It’s really special. It’s amazing. I’ve played here before and got a man of the match performance before but that was without the fans and without my family. So tonight to have my family and of course the England fans in the stadium it was really special. It’s a night I’ll never forget.”

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“He earned that opportunity (to play) tonight and he has grabbed it,” Southgate said of the youngster’s performance. Even Sancho couldn’t hide his delight. “Too happy for this guy, took his opportunity like I told him to! Family,” he wrote on Instagram.

With England scheduled to face the runners-up from Group F, which would most likely mean a meeting with any of France, Portugal or Germany, it would be interesting to see if Saka features again in Southgate’s star-studded side.

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