England

Saka finish confirms status as England’s greatest hope for taking the next step | Barney Ronay

27-Mar-2023 07:00:40 | Guardian

Best creative attacker is likely to determine whether Gareth Southgate can finally mould a genuine champion team

With 40 minutes gone at Wembley Stadium Bukayo Saka took the ball in the inside left channel, bumped away the yellow shirt at his back and produced that familiar whip‑crack turn, one of those moments where he just seems to have a weirdly preternatural grasp of the physics of movement, snaking off into spaces that aren’t, technically, supposed to be there. Perhaps this is one reason why he gets kicked a lot. There is no logical answer to this problem.

Saka had time to think about what to do next, a micro-second of processing time. The finish was ridiculous. Not novel or unorthodox: the left-foot shot curled across goal, starting outside the line of the post, hips opened out to make the angle. We know that angle. It’s drill, a set move.