Saka admits England still carry Argentina semi-final 'scar' but urges squad to move on

Bukayo Saka says England’s players are still carrying the “scar” of their World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina, but insists the squad must look forward as they return to international football for a Nations League qualifying campaign.

England achieved their best ever World Cup finish in North America, claiming bronze after a 6-4 victory over France in the third-place play-off in Miami. The defining wound of the tournament, however, was their 2-1 stoppage-time collapse against the 2022 champions Argentina in the last four — a result that manager Thomas Tuchel had already described using the same “scar” language in his first interview since the tournament.

“Obviously, there’s still a scar in us,” Saka said. “When you believed, and everyone was so united and so confident we could do it, not just us, but the whole country. We’re trying to draw a line under it now and focus on the new international season and what we have coming up now. You try to move on as soon as possible, but you know, a scar is a scar and decides to heal when it heals itself.”

Saka, who managed an Achilles injury throughout the tournament, was an unused substitute for the semi-final as Tuchel opted for defensive replacements in an attempt to protect a lead. The Arsenal winger returned three days later for the play-off and scored a hat-trick against France, a performance that inevitably prompted questions about why he had been left out against Argentina.

The 23-year-old admitted it was “tough” to watch from the bench during such a pivotal game, but said he has no interest in dwelling on the decision. “There’s been a lot of talk and speculation about decisions and whatnot in the Argentina game, but for me, it was tough not to come in,” he said. “But we’re here in a new camp in a new season, and just want to look ahead now and try not to dwell on it anymore.”

Tuchel held a meeting with the squad on Tuesday to address the World Cup and shift focus towards the home European Championship in 2028. Saka echoed that forward-looking message, pointing to four Nations League group games as the immediate priority. “We’ve got four massive, difficult group games to try to qualify us in the Nations League, which we’re fully focused on,” he added.

The wider squad appears to be processing the Argentina defeat collectively, with Saka’s comments reflecting a group that is wounded but determined not to let the result define what comes next under Tuchel.