Wales have belief to cause upset against England, says Angharad James

South Wales Argus

a day ago

Wales have the belief to cause an upset against defending European champions England in St. Gallen, according to captain Angharad James.
Currently sitting bottom of Group D, Wales have yet to win a match at Euro 2025 having fallen to defeat against the Netherlands and France in their first major tournament.
But as the Dragons face a crunch clash with rivals England, James believes her side can get one over the Lionesses and knock them out of the competition.
'The pressure is all on England. They have to come out, they have to perform and they're expected to win this game,' she explained.
'Within our group, we believe that we can upset a very top team. We've prepared as normal and we're ready for the fight tomorrow.
'There's no hiding behind the history of Wales vs England. Whatever sport you're playing in, it's a rivalry match and it's one that everyone wants to play in.
'As a group, we've come on so much since the first game and the second game was such a big improvement from us. We're looking to step it up again in this game.'
Having lost 3-0 to the Netherlands in the opening match, Wales made history in the second game through 38-year-old Jess Fishlock.
The Dragons legend latched onto Ceri Holland's pass at the back post to turn home the first major international tournament goal in Wales' history.
It saw them equalise against France in the 13th minute but Les Bleues went on to win 4-1.
'Moments win or lose you games,' reflected James. 'We've been so close to those moments. Looking at the game it's 4-1 against France, but it wasn't a 4-1 game if you watch the game.
'Those small margins are what we need to work towards as a group and we're prepared to have those honest and hard conversations to make sure that we keep improving and keep moving in the right direction.'
The Wales squad have been turning to history in search of those small moments. In 2018, the national team held England to a 0-0 draw at St. Mary's Stadium in Southampton, leaving Jayne Ludlow to hail it the greatest performance in their history at the time.
Ten members of the current squad were involved in that performance and have been drawing inspiration from the embattled display in the hopes of pulling off a result of an even greater magnitude.
'You don't forget when you get a result against England, that's for sure,' said James.
'We've spoken about it and a lot of time has gone on since then and new players have come into the squad.
'We've got a nice mixture of younger players, more experienced players and there's a really nice blend within the group.'
Just as back then, midfielder James is expecting another physical contest against an England side who need a win to ensure their progression to the Euro 2025 quarter-finals.
'As soon as this group got announced, we knew they were going to be three tough games, three very competitive games and three games that, as a midfielder, you love to play in,' she said.
'This group has come very far the last few games and we're looking to step it up again against England.
'The rivalry, the history behind Wales-England, whether it's football, rugby, whatever, we're ready for the fight.
'We'll be preparing the best we can in the next 24 hours to bring all of that.'