Soccer-England defender Morgan still buzzing after wild shootout win

The Star

19-07-2025

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - UEFA Women's Euro 2025 - Quarter Final - Sweden v England - Stadion Letzigrund, Zurich, Switzerland - July 17, 2025 England's Esme Morgan celebrates after winning the penalty shoot-out REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo
ZURICH (Reuters) -England defender Esme Morgan said on Saturday it had been difficult to sleep since her team's "ridiculous" come-from-behind quarter-final victory over Sweden with its wild penalty shootout that will not be soon forgotten.
With the defending champions facing Italy in the semi-finals on Tuesday, the 24-year-old was still buzzing from Thursday's chaotic night in Zurich that featured injuries, a bloody nose, a mysterious note, and a wacky shootout that will go down as one of the worst but one of the most memorable ever.
"Obviously that was ridiculous really, to sum it up in one word," Morgan said.
The one negative on the night was captain Leah Williamson limping off with an ankle injury, but Morgan said the team were optimistic she would be available to face Italy.
"She seemed in very high spirits this morning," she said.
Morgan was one of coach Sarina Wiegman's 70th-minute substitutes in the Sweden game. "Apparently my mom was sobbing when I came on, bless her," she said.
The television camera spotted Morgan handing a note to fellow defender Lucy Bronze. Morgan joked later on Instagram that the note said "Save us GOAT."
The 33-year-old Bronze was huge in England's victory, scoring in the 79th minute and then hastily unwrapping her taped hamstring to smash home the winning penalty in the shootout.
"We are all inspired by her mentality, she's a freak really in that she just has so much passion, energy, fight and she infects everyone else with it," Morgan said.
"That note might as well have said that because that's apparently what she read on it. She put her shoulders back and played like: 'I'm not letting us go home'."
IMPRESSIVE KELLY
Chloe Kelly was also impressive as a late substitute, and was one of three England players who found the back of the net in the shootout with her oddball run-up - she lifts one hip high, does a little skip, before firing with her right.
Kelly joked after that she had been "bursting for a wee."
"Chloe said afterward that she made eye contact with the goalkeeper (Jennifer Falk) and the keeper was smirking at her, and she just started laughing," Morgan said. "The composure in that moment to be so free and at ease and confident to be able to laugh just shows what a brilliant player she is."
Morgan also praised keeper Hannah Hampton who made two saves in the shootout despite a bloody nostril stuffed with gauze thanks to an errant elbow earlier.
When asked if there was a moment during the match when she doubted England would win, Morgan said just before halftime.
"I thought 'I've not packed anything,'" she laughed.
Many of the players stayed up well into the early morning after the win.
"It's just so hard to switch, especially when it's been such a game of roller-coaster emotions, your heart is just pounding and you keep replaying moments," she said.
"There was a lot of laughing at things that happened within the game, a few of us got together to watch that night's 'Love Island' episode to try and tire us out."
(Reporting by Lori Ewing; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)