Arsenal: Bukayo Saka explains Panenka penalty decision against Real Madrid

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·17 aprile 2025

Arsenal: Bukayo Saka explains Panenka penalty decision against Real Madrid

England winger saw early spot-kick chip saved by Thibaut Courtois, but he would not be denied his goal on a famous night for the Gunners

Bukayo Saka has expanded on his decision to attempt a Panenka penalty during Arsenal’s high-stakes clash with Real Madrid.

The England winger saw his early spot-kick easily saved by Thibaut Courtois at the Bernabeu after French referee Francois Letexier had pointed to the spot in the 13th minute after Mikel Merino had been dragged down inside the box by Raul Asencio while running to try and connect with a corner.

However, it was only a very minor blip on what was otherwise another truly spectacular night for Arsenal and the sublime Saka, who opened the scoring in the second half on Wednesday night as his second attempted chip proved far more successful as he beat the onrushing Courtois after being played in by Merino.

Madrid quickly hit back inside two minutes as Vinicus Jr capitalised on William Saliba’s glaring error, but Gabriel Martinelli finished the tie in stoppage time after another Merino assist as Arsenal followed up last week’s stunning Declan Rice-inspired 3-0 home win over the Champions League holders with another 2-1 victory that saw them reach the semi-finals 5-1 on aggregate.

It is the first time that the Gunners - the first English team ever to win twice at the Bernabeu, having also famously done so in the last 16 in 2005/06 thanks to Thierry Henry - have made the last four of Europe’s elite club competition since losing to Manchester United in 2009, with in-form Paris Saint-Germain now standing between them and a place in the final in Munich on May 31 after Luis Enrique’s men narrowly held off an epic Aston Villa fightback on Tuesday.

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The first leg takes place at the Emirates Stadium - where reigning French champions PSG lost 2-0 in the league phase back in October - on April 29, before the Parc des Princes in Paris then stages the second fixture on May 7.

Discussing that penalty miss and making up for it with his stylish second-half goal, Saka told Kate Scott, Henry, Jamie Carragher and Micah Richards on CBS Sports: “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.”

Explaining his instinctive finish against Madrid, Saka added: “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.”

Also discussing his missed penalty with TNT Sports, Saka vowed to learn lessons from it moving forward.

“It can happen,” he said. “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.”