England needed a hero in the early hours of this morning. The player who delivered was born in London to Yoruba parents.

Bukayo Saka set up England's opener in the wildest game of this World Cup so far. It was a 3-2 win over co-hosts Mexicoat the Azteca that sent Thomas Tuchel's side into the quarter-finals. Jude Bellingham scored twice in under two minutes off the back of Saka's cross. England then survived more than forty minutes with ten men after a red card. Harry Kane's penalty held off a fightback from a Mexican side that hadn't conceded in the tournament until that night.

The assist made Saka the third England player on record since 1966 with three assists in a single World Cup, alongside David Beckham in 2002 and Harry Kane in 2022. Saka's father is Yoruba, and Saka has spoken publicly before about his connection to Nigeria, including a visit in 2023 that lit up Nigerian social media for days. He plays for England because his talent and his passport gave him that choice. Nobody in Lagos begrudges him the choice. They just watch the highlights and claim the assist anyway.

He's not the only one of Nigerian heritage still standing at this tournament, and he won't be the last one Nigerians claim before it's over.