Tag: Saka

  • Euro 2020: What Paul Pogba told England penalty flops

    Euro 2020: What Paul Pogba told England penalty flops

    Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has sent his support to England trio Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka.

    Arsenal youngster Saka missed the decisive penalty in England’s shootout lost to Italy in the Euro 2020 final.

    It came after Rashford and Sancho also failed to convert from the spot.

    Taking to Instagram, Pogba said: “I am PROUD OF YOU. You win some, you lose some.

    “You took the courage to take the penalties and you showed your worth to help your country reach the final.

    “We cannot tolerate or stand for racism anymore and we will never stop combatting it. You boys should hold your heads high and be proud of your confidence. You are examples of this beautiful game. Never forget that. Be proud of yourselves, the World of football is proud of you!”

  • I didn’t realise Saka penalty was decider – Italy goalkeeper

    I didn’t realise Saka penalty was decider – Italy goalkeeper

    Italy goalkeeper Gigio Donnarumma admits he didn’t know saving Bukayo Saka’s penalty would win the Euro 2020 title.

    Arsenal youngster Saka had the chance to take the game to sudden death after Jorginho’s penalty was saved by Jordan Pickford, but Donnarumma stood in his way.

    Donnarumma, who has left AC Milan for PSG this summer, pounced to his left and the game, the tournament, and English hopes of a long-awaited trophy were over.

    But Donnarumma has admitted he was not aware the shootout had even finished.

    He told Sky Italia: “I didn’t celebrate because I didn’t realise we had won!”

    It was only when the 22-year-old saw his Azzurri teammates steaming towards him to revel in their victory that it occurred to him they were now European champions.

  • England goal biggest moment of my career – Saka

    England goal biggest moment of my career – Saka

    Arsenal whiz Bukayo Saka was proud of his first goal for England last night against Austria.

    The strike proved to be the winner of the friendly.

    Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live after the game, Saka said of his goal: “Probably the biggest moment of my career so far, the biggest moment was getting called up for England the first time and now to score the goal it sounds nice, it’s an amazing feeling for me.

    “You dream of that as a kid, scoring for your country, coming through the age groups with England so to now do it here and score for the seniors, it’s an amazing feeling and I hope I can have this feeling many more times.

    “Every game is an opportunity to grow in confidence and chemistry with my team-mates, so today is another step in the right direction.

    “It’s a big honour to be named in the final squad, grateful to Gareth [Southgate], happy that I get the opportunity to represent my country in a major tournament so I’m looking forward to it a lot.”

  • Aubameyang hat-trick can turn Arsenal season around – Saka

    Aubameyang hat-trick can turn Arsenal season around – Saka

    Bukayo Saka hopes Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s return and subsequent hat-trick is a turning point for Arsenal’s season.

    The Gabon international made his first start in close to a month against Leeds United on Sunday, scoring three times in the 4-2 victory.

    And Saka thinks Aubameyang’s return to form will improve the Gunners’ chances of success ahead of facing Benfica and Manchester City this week,

    “Auba is amazing. I can’t speak highly enough of him,” Saka said after beating Leeds.

    “He showed everyone how much quality he has – when he gets a chance, he is going to put it away.

    “He can do everything, so we are so happy to have him and it’s good that he got a hat-trick for his confidence. We have a big week ahead and we hope he can score some more goals for us.

    “Does this feel like a turning point? I hope so. The last two games (before Leeds) we lost, but I thought we were quite unlucky.

    “To get this one over the line, get the win, it sets us up for quite a tough week and gives us a lot of confidence going into the games.”

  • We won’t beg Arsenal star to play for Super Eagles – Pinnick

    We won’t beg Arsenal star to play for Super Eagles – Pinnick

    President of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Amaju Pinnick has insisted the country is blessed with talents and will not beg Arsenal starlet Bukayo Saka or any player to represent the Super Eagles.

    The 18-year-old has been in fine form since breaking into the Gunners’ first team and this season he has become a key member of Mikel Arteta’s side.

    The versatile forward has scored four goals and provided 11 assists in 37 appearances across all competitions for the Emirates Stadium outfit in the current campaign.

    “Saka is an excellent prospect but we have other players in his position who are playing so well,” Pinnick said in an Instagram Live chat.

    “We have talents everywhere so we won’t beg people to play for Nigeria. It is about ardour and fervour, If it’s their desire and they merit it, they’ll be given a chance to represent Nigeria.”

  • Ikpeba urges Rohr to invite Arsenal star Saka

    Ikpeba urges Rohr to invite Arsenal star Saka

    Former Nigeria international Victor Ikpeba has advised coach Gernot Rohr to invite Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka to the Super Eagles.

    The 18-year-old, who has been with the Gunners since he was seven years old, has been turning heads since making his first-team debut in 2018 under Unai Emery, impressing with his dribbling skills, trickery and eye for a killer pass.

    Saka continued with his awe-inspiring form in Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester City – his 23rd appearance in the English top-flight this term.

    “Watching the Arsenal versus Leicester City game and I think Gernot Rohr should invite Bukayo Saka to the Super Eagles camp once the paperwork have been concluded,” Ikpeba tweeted.

  • Teenager Saka takes Arsenal to FA Cup 5th round

    Teenager Saka takes Arsenal to FA Cup 5th round

    Arsenal teenager Bukayo Saka scored one goal and set up another as the Londoners sealed a place in the FA Cup fifth round with a 2-1 win over AFC Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on Monday.

    Left-back Saka and striker Eddie Nketiah netted inside 26 minutes as Arsenal’s much-changed lineup made a dominant start and fought off a late Bournemouth rally to secure a tie against third-tier Portsmouth back on the south coast.

    Saka, 18, blasted the ball into the roof of the net from a tight angle after five minutes before his low cross provided a tap-in for Nketiah, who was recalled this month from a loan spell at second-tier Leeds United.

    Bournemouth’s Sam Surridge scored in the fourth minute of added time to set up a nervous finale for Mikel Arteta’s side but the hosts could not find an equaliser and are left to focus on the battle for Premier League survival.

    Arsenal’s first-half performance was eye-catching, with 22 passes leading up to Saka’s fine opening goal.

    “Mikel is trying to bring back the philosophy of the Arsenal way. We did that well in the first half, not so much in the second half,” Saka told BT Sport.

    Bournemouth’s last-gasp goal them some hope, Simon Francis’ low cross eluding everybody and allowing Surridge, 21, to score his first goal for the club after a loan spell at Swansea City.

    “We’re very disappointed. We gave it a good go in the end,” said Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe.

    “It was just a poor start. Tough first half hour and we struggled to deal with their movement. We weren’t ourselves. But for the last 60 minutes we scrapped and almost got something in the end.”

  • I knew my wife was a wife material- Saka

    Revered comic actor and lecturer, Hafiz Oyetoro fondly called Saka by his fans recently celebrated his 16th wedding anniversary. The actor who also teaches English and drama at the Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, Ijanikin, Lagos, in a chat with recounted how he met his wife.
    “The day I met her for the first time, she came to submit her final year project to her department. She studied Mathematics at the college. She looked very quiet and composed. Immediately I felt that she might make a good wife. I had never felt that way about any woman before. The more I looked at her, the more I told myself that I would like to make her my wife.
    I can’t really explain what happened, but I just knew that she was a good wife material. The first thought that came to my mind was to marry her”, he told Punch.
    The award winning actor also stated how he made enquiries about her after he developed interest in her.
    “When I made some inquiries about the lady, I learnt that she was the quiet and introverted type. Later I did a little digging into her background. It took some time to attract her attention and to talk her into starting a relationship with me. We eventually got married in 2003,” he said.
     

  • My wife sacrificed her career to focus on the home-front- Saka

    My wife sacrificed her career to focus on the home-front- Saka

    Afeez Oyetoro, aka Saka, has revealed that his wife had to sacrifice her career as a teacher to focus on the home-front. The humorous actor noted that he was brought up with fear and it made him keep to himself as an undergraduate.
     
    He said, “As a growing kid, I lived under very strict conditions that didn’t allow me to express myself. It affected me during my university days. I will never allow my children to be brought up by anyone. Also, parents need to know that there is a difference between fear and respect. I fear you doesn’t mean I respect you. Once you are close to me, I will do whatever you want but I know I will be free later. But if your child loves you, he or she will respect you even when you are not around.”
    Speaking about the huge sacrifices made by his wife, he said: “I have a wonderful wife who shares my passion and vision. It is like God created the two of us for each other. She agreed and decided to leave her job so as to keep the house together. She is a graduate of Mathematics and she was a teacher when I met her. She has taken care of the home very well; that is why I speak passionately about her all the time.”
     

  • Bloggers should stop emphasizing on celebrities weaknesses- Saka

    Seasoned comic actor, Hafeez Oyetoro a.k.a Saka is one actor who has remained relevant over the years against all odds.The revered thespian has urged bloggers to desist from emphasizing on the negative side of celebrities in their stories.

    He made this known while talking to newsmen. Saka noted that bloggers and celebrities should complement each other rather than fighting one another.

     

    Hear him: “We are all human beings. We are liable to make mistakes, we are liable to have one weakness or the other it’s not good when bloggers emphasize so much on our weaknesses. As bloggers are promoting us, we are also promoting them in return. Our colleagues in the media should take it easy with the artistes so that we don’t keep having bad news and scandals. Let us be proud of each other” he said.

    Oyetoro is known for his comic roles in Nollywood movies and has featured in several Nigerian films.He is currently a lecturer in the department of theatre art at Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, Lagos State, Nigeria.