Alan Shearer gives Bukayo Saka new two-word nickname after 'embarrassing moment'

Alan Shearer hailed as a "mentality monster" following commanding quarter-final victory against Real Madrid in the Champions League.

The right winger grabbed a goal in the second leg of the knockout stage, stretching lead to 4-0 on aggregate and all but guaranteeing their spot in the semis. Madrid's Vinicius Jr evened the score on the evening, but it was Gabriel Martinelli who added the finishing touch for the Gunners, slotting home in the 93rd minute to clinch a 2-1 win and widen the aggregate gap to 5-1.

Earlier in the night, Saka had a prime chance to increase the lead when they were awarded a penalty. Despite an impressive track record with Arsenal - scoring 12 out of 15 penalties - his , who made a routine save to his right.

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While this miss could potentially unsettle him, it seemed to spur Saka on; he delivered a goal in the 65th minute that was crucial in propelling his side forward.

On an episode of podcast, Shearer joined Gary Lineker and Micah Richards in commending Saka's resilience and focus, which remained undiminished despite the earlier penalty setback.

Shearer kicked off the discussion by saying: "What about Saka, man? He's like a mentality monster." Lineker referenced his 1992 penalty miss against Brazil as he joked: "He misses the penalty, and I mean, who tries a little dinky penalty like that? I mean, who would do that?

"I think it's a really good penalty to hit occasionally because it will make the keepers think, but and it might even be worth with missing one when you actually go on to win for for the future because goalkeepers now will think, oh, he's got that little dinky one in his locker."

Lineker admitted it can "look embarrassing" when you miss a panenka, with Saka left red-faced after his sub-par effort. Shearer then added: "It's not a good look when you miss, not at all. But for him to even think, 'Actually, I'm in the quarter finals of the Champions League, I'm at the Bernabeu playing Real Madrid', and you've got the nuts to say 'I'm just going to dink this'. It's like really? Come on."

Richards echoed the sentiments of his fellow pundits, expressing some worry for Saka's mindset right after the failed penalty. He said: "Did you see that after he missed the penalty, he went back and he was defending and he got the ball and just shanked it out of play with his right foot, or just shanked it up field with his right foot.

"I'm thinking to myself 'Oh, his head's gone'. He needs to recover, he needs to recover ASAP. And then of course, mentality monster Saka steps up again."

Prior to their Champions League success, Arsenal had been feeling the absence of Saka while he dealt with a hamstring injury that he picked up during Arsenal's victory against Crystal Palace on December 21. It left him sidelined for three months.

His return has been welcomed by fans and team-mates alike, as well as boss Mikel Arteta, who didn't hold back in praising Saka's Champions League contributions. The manager even joked he almost wanted to "slap" the player for missing a penalty.

Following the game, Arteta said: "I didn't want to die but maybe I wanted to slap him. He made that decision, he was bold enough to do it and he missed.

"I was more concerned about the emotional part, what it could do for us. The personality he showed at his age, in the first time he played in this stadium, incredible."