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Mikel Arteta jokingly said he wanted to slap Bukayo Saka after the Arsenal star missed his spot kick against Real Madrid in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final. The two sides faced at Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday (April 16).
The Gunners were handed the opportunity to extend their 3-0 lead when they were awarded a penalty in the 13th minute.
Saka, who has been exceptional for Arsenal from the spot, scoring 12 of his penalties and missing only once, stepped up for his side. In what turned out to be a disappointing moment for away fans, Saka saw his panenka saved by Thibaut Courtois to keep the scoreline level on the night.
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However, the Englishman redeemed himself, as he opened the scoring for Arsenal in the 65th minute with a brilliant dink over Courtois. The Gunners went on to win the match 2-1 to secure a 5-1 aggregate win across two legs.
After the match, Arteta was asked how he reacted to Saka’s spot-kick miss, to which he responded with a wry smile (via GOAL):
“I didn’t want to die, but maybe I wanted to slap him. He made that decision, he was bold enough to do it, and he missed. I was more concerned about the emotional part. What it could do for us. The personality he showed at his age, in the first time he played in this stadium, [is] incredible.”
Arsenal will face Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) across two legs in the semifinals of the Champions League.
Arsenal star Bukayo Saka explains panenka penalty decision against Real Madrid
After Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, Bukayo Saka explained his decision to opt for a panenka.
The Hale End graduate told Kate Scott, Thierry Henry, Jamie Carragher, and Micah Richards on CBS Sports (via The Standard):
“I went for something on the penalty. If it goes in I’m a genius, if it doesn’t then everyone is angry. It can happen in a game, you can miss a penalty. I was very confident I was going to score tonight. I really believed, I was calm and I think you could see that in the way I played. Happily I did do it in the second half and the chip worked then instead I guess.”
Speaking about his goal, Saka said:
“I made the run, Mikel’s found me and I saw Courtois coming really quick. It was the best solution I felt in that moment, and it worked.”
On his penalty miss, Saka vowed to learn lessons from it moving forward, telling TNT Sports:
“It can happen. I tried something, it didn’t work. But I was confident that I was going to score tonight and I kept my head and managed to do it in the second half. I learn in every moment. I’ll learn from it and move forward, but tonight I’m more focused on enjoying the win and maybe tomorrow or next week I’ll review it properly.”
In the ongoing season, Saka has made 25 goal contributions for Arsenal in 29 appearances across competitions.
