England secured an impressive 3-0 win against Wales in a friendly match on October 9 at Wembley Stadium.
Morgan Rogers opened the scoring for the Three Lions just three minutes into the match after being set up by Marc Guehi, who also assisted their second goal, netted by Ollie Watkins in the 11th minute.
After being sidelined with injuries for England’s March and September fixtures, Bukayo Saka returned to the pitch against Wales and scored a stunning goal from an assist by Ezri Konsa in the 20th minute, prompting cheers from the crowd at Wembley.
Saka missed about 27 games for club and country due to hamstring injuries that he initially suffered in December last year.
Now, after netting three goals in seven appearances for Arsenal so far this season, Saka found the back of the net for England, which is also a historic goal.
The 24-year-old’s strike against Wales was his 13th goal for his nation, which makes him Arsenal’s highest-scoring men’s player in England’s history, surpassing Cliff Bastin’s record of 12 goals.
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The record goal on Thursday is also of significance to Saka, as it was five years to the day since he made his debut for England, also against Wales, back in October 2020.
After the eventful victory, Saka shared his thoughts on returning to the pitch for the Three Lions following his injury struggles, mentioning that he is ‘starting to feel good again.’
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Saka admitted that scoring for his nation after returning to action is a ‘special feeling,’ while mentioning being ‘happy’ about regaining his consistent form, and said,
“I started this season by picking up an injury, which kind of killed me a bit but I’m starting to feel good again. I’m still not at my sharpest but I’m starting to feel good again and I’ve scored in the last three games so I’m happy with that and want to continue like that,” as per GOAL.
“I’ve missed a lot of England games, especially under Thomas (Tuchel) as well and I haven’t scored for a while either so to come back and put the ball in the back of the net is a special feeling and one I’m really excited about.”
Tuchel’s squad includes many top choices for the attack line, namely Jarrod Bowen and Cole Palmer, among others, which makes it a competitive challenge. Saka, however, believes it is ‘healthy’ competition and makes players improve further.
“It’s pretty new to me but at the same time, like I said, it’s fair and it’s healthy and it’s only going to get the best out of me and any other players that are around me. It’s just about us pushing each other and trying to get each other to perform at the highest level.”
Saka and England will now be heading to their eighth 2026 World Cup qualifier match against Latvia on October 14.
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