Arsenal star Bukayo Saka bounced back from a first-half penalty miss at the Santiago Bernabeu to help send the Gunners through to the Champions League semi-finals. After the dust settled on the 2-1 win, which wrapped up a 5-1 aggregate triumph, his message on social media was a simple one.
Tagging himself at Real Madrid’s famous stadium, the England forward shared photos of his second-half goal and his celebrations. The one-word caption on his Instagram post read, simply, “faith”.
Saka, who returned from hamstring surgery in time for the first-leg win at home to Madrid, saw a first half penalty pawed to safety by Thibaut Courtois at the Bernabeu. He rebounded in style, though, beating the offside trap and dinking the ball over the Belgian keeper to give Arsenal the lead in the 65th minute.
Vinicius Junior delivered an immediate equaliser on the night, but Carlo Ancelotti’s side weren’t able to ramp up the pressure with a second goal. It got worse for them in time added on, with Gabriel Martinelli finishing off a rapid break by slotting the ball calmly home.
After the game, Saka also clashed with Real Madrid star Dani Carvajal in the tunnel, with team-mate Ben White stepping in. However, after the game, he was focused on celebrating a momentous win for his club.
A number of current and former team-mates congratulated Saka in the comments under his post. “A night to remember,” wrote Declan Rice, with ex-Gunners Granit Xhaka and Alexandre Lacazette among the others to share their own messages.
Saka has spoken openly in the past about his Christian faith. The 23-year-old uses the hashtag #GodsChild in his Instagram profile, and opened up about his religion during the 2022 World Cup.
“I read my Bible every night,” he said in December 2022. “For me, it’s really important to have the presence of God in me all the time and it gives me more confidence to know that God’s plan is perfect, so I can go on the pitch and know that God has my back.”
After the win in Madrid, Saka reflected on the victory in a TNT Sports interview. Arsenal will face Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals after Luis Enrique’s team claimed a 5-4 aggregate victory over Aston Villa, and Saka scored in a 2-0 home win over the same opponents in October during the league phase.
“We showed that we can play in Europe and beat one of the best teams in the world, home and away,” Arsenal’s hero said. “Very proud of this team. Tonight was a big statement and I am so happy for everyone.”
“It can happen,” he said when asked about his penalty miss. “I tried something, but it didn’t work. I was confident I was going to score tonight. I learn in every moment. Tonight, I am more focused on enjoying the win and then I will review it properly.”
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