{
  "id": 9359610,
  "title": "England still carrying ‘scar’ of World Cup exit – Saka",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/england-still-carrying-scar-of-world-cup-exit-saka-9359610",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-23T15:36:40.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Punch",
    "slug": "punch",
    "url": "https://punchng.com/england-still-carrying-scar-of-world-cup-exit-saka/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka has admitted that the England national team is still carrying the emotional \"scar\" of their heartbreaking 2022 World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina. Despite bouncing back to win the bronze medal with a 6-4 victory over France, the loss to Argentina left a lasting impact, as the team missed out on their first World Cup final since 1966. Saka, speaking ahead of England's opening Nations League fixture against world champions Spain at Wembley, reflected on the aftermath of the World Cup exit. \"There is still a scar on us when you believed and everyone was so united and so confident we could do it. Not just us, but the whole country, we felt,\" Saka said, emphasizing that a scar takes time to heal. While acknowledging the need to move on, Saka, along with the rest of the squad, remains focused on the Nations League campaign, viewing it as the next major challenge.",
  "summary": "England winger Bukayo Saka says the national team is still carrying the emotional ‘scar’ from their 2026 World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina. Read More: https://punchng.com/england-still-carrying-scar-of-world-cup-exit-saka/",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "BBC Sport",
        "title": "England players carrying World Cup scar - Saka",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/england-players-carrying-world-cup-scar-saka",
        "published": "2026-09-23T14:03:42.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "Saka says England still have 'scar' from World Cup semi-final loss",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/saka-says-england-still-have-scar-from-world-cup-semi-final-loss",
        "published": "2026-09-23T15:13:31.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Punch Nigeria",
        "title": "England still carrying ‘scar’ of World Cup exit – Saka",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/england-still-carrying-scar-of-world-cup-exit-saka",
        "published": "2026-09-23T15:14:41.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}