Lionesses Toone and Mead mark personal loss in Euros win over Wales

The Guardian

a day ago

There are rare occasions when a moment in a match can remind you that football is both the most meaningless thing in the world and the most meaningful. On Sunday night, in the compact and atmospheric Kybunpark, the proximity of the stands to the pitch giving a feel of the playing surface being held in a tight embrace, two poignant goal celebrations stuck out.
The first came from the sublime Ella Toone, who became the only player on record to score a goal, provide an assist and have a 100% pass completion rate in Euros history during her 45 minutes on the pitch. When she converted from close range after her initial effort was blocked, the 25-year-old kissed her hands and pointed to the sky, the emotion on her face shifting from sheer joy to stoic contemplation as she paid tribute to her father, Nick, who died in September.
In the 72nd minute it was Beth Mead's turn, the Euro 2022 golden boot and golden ball winner similarly raising her index fingers skyward after taking a touch past Rhiannon Roberts and firing low into the corner. Mead's tribute was to her mother, June, who died in January 2023, six months after Mead's Euro 2022 heroics, with ovarian cancer.
'I was absolutely buzzing for Beth,' Toone said. 'That's the Beth I saw in 2022 at the Euros, when she took an extra touch in the box and sat a few defenders down and got a goal. I'm so happy for her that she got that tonight and we both could celebrate to the sky. I'm sure they'll be up there with a pint in their hand watching us.'
Mead has been able to help Toone on her journey through football with the weight of a heavy grief on her shoulders. 'I think I've just been a shoulder and been able to be there for her,' Mead said after England's 6-1 victory over Wales set up Thursday's quarter-final against Sweden. 'There's moments when she's said: 'Beth, is this normal? Does that feel normal? Why am I thinking this?' And I'm like: 'It's completely normal, I've been there, I still feel like it now.'
'We have conversations and she says I talk so easily about it, but ultimately I've had a little bit longer to process it compared to her and we all deal with it differently. I think she is dealing pretty amazingly with it right now.'
Toone is full of praise for Mead's support. 'She's been amazing. I think we've really bonded over such a terrible thing, but it's nice to have someone who's been through it and who understands and knows exactly what's going on and what's going on in my head as well. We've definitely got each other's backs. We're proud of each other and what's nice is that we're constantly talking about them. So, yeah, it's nice to have someone who's in the same situation, and we know that we're doing them proud.'
Mead and Toone are not the first in the England setup to use their platform to discuss the contradictions of grief and its lasting impact. The former goalkeeper Carly Telford has spoken movingly about the loss of her mother; Sarina Wiegman talked after the Euro 2022 final about about the death of her sister shortly before the tournament; and Fran Kirby, recently retired from international football, has beautifully articulated how much harder celebrating the wins are when you live with grief, her mother having died when she was 14.
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When Telford lost her mum she had Kirby at Chelsea and with England. Now Mead is able to share her experience of loss and grief with Toone as they experience highs and lows together on the pitch.
'It's important,' Mead said. 'We've both said in the first game we struggled a little bit. You look to the stands for your person standing there and they're not there any more. My mum was the first person I would look for in the stands. So, I obviously understand what Ella felt in that moment and it's special to be able to have that moment and think about them and dedicate to them.'
Toone has shone since her return to the XI. She began the tournament on the bench, coming on in England's opener against France, grappling with the loss of her starting spot and her grief at the same time. Her performances against the Netherlands and then Wales, where she linked up with Lucy Bronze and Lauren James on the right, were all-action and provided the structure England needed.
'She was unbelievable,' Mead said. 'Tooney is really coming to her own and sometimes in situations where you feel a little bit low, it brings you to the top of your game. I have completely felt that and done that before, been in a tough place and come back, and I think you can see that she's giving off that kind of aura, that type of energy, and she deserves everything she's getting right now because she has worked really hard for it.'