Gary Lineker admits he was misty-eyed watching Bukayo Saka score his penalty against Switzerland – and reveals why Alexander-Arnold made him cry again!
- Lineker was delighted to see Saka score a penalty after missing the 2020 European Championship final
- He compared it to how he felt when he saw Stuart Pearce score at Euro ’96
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Gary Lineker has admitted he shed a tear – or two – as he watched both Bukayo Saka and Trent Alexander-Arnold score in the penalty shootout against Switzerland.
Saka, who had also scored England’s equaliser against the Swiss earlier in the match in the 80th minute, coolly saved a penalty in the ensuing shootout.
The 22-year-old winger has been praised for his courage after missing the decisive penalty in the Euro 2020 final against Italy, effectively sending England out of the tournament.
Lineker says watching Saka’s penalty takes him right back to Euro 1996. It evokes the same emotions as watching Stuart Pearce score in England’s quarter-final penalty shootout against Spain.
In conversation with Alan Shearer and Micah Richards about the Rest is Football podcastLineker said: ‘It reminded me so much of the Stuart Pearce moment. Pearce missed in 1990 when I was playing.
Bukayo Saka scored the equalizer against the Swiss in the 80th minute and the subsequent penalty
Gary Lineker said he ‘cried tears of joy’ when he saw Saka score his penalty
Lineker said he felt a similar emotion when he watched Stuart Pearce score a penalty at Euro 1996.
‘I know Stuart, you know Stuart, he’s such a brilliant guy and a great footballer.
‘Then we played Spain, penalty shootout, at Euro ’96. And he stepped forward again. I was in the crowd and thought please, please score, don’t miss.
“Everyone in the crowd was thinking the same thing, the silence was palpable. When he hit that, I cried. I sat there in the crowd crying, tears of joy.
‘But to come back, a young guy who also scores and puts us on level terms, and then does that too… he’s amazing!’
Lineker had similar praise for Alexander-Arnold, saying he “felt like he was let down a little bit.
‘The other time I got a little teary-eyed was when I saw Trent [Alexander-Arnold] “Come on,” he continued.
Saka’s penalty completes a redemptive run after he missed a penalty in the Euro 2020 final
Trent Alexander-Arnold took the initiative to take a penalty after enduring a tough European Championship so far
‘He was put in that central midfield position when the team was a bit disjointed, it wasn’t cohesive, they were all over the place, and he was taken off and got the blame.
‘I was so happy when I saw him come up and score the winning penalty.’
England will hope to repeat their heroics of Euro 2020, when they reached the final, by beating the Netherlands in the semi-final on Wednesday.