Latest news with #foreign soil
The Independent
18 hours ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Leah Williamson's defining moment seals her place in England history
Amid the chaos, there was another moment of calm. Leah Williamson had just made history as England captain but first she paused. While her teammates chased after Chloe Kelly and Hannah Hampton and as Michelle Agyemang and Jess Carter dropped to their knees on the pitch, Williamson turned to her beaten Spanish opponents and began to shake each of them by the hand. No England captain had been here before, with Williamson becoming the first player in the country's history to skipper a team to two tournament victories, as well as the first to lead a side to a title on foreign soil. And while there were many heroes on yet another improbable night, to complete a 'chaotic and ridiculous' tournament in the words of Sarina Wiegman, it was the clear-mindedness of Williamson that repeatedly shone through. To face this Spain team as a center-back across 120 minutes is to essentially be required to perform two jobs at once: first, to constantly evaluate the danger and protect the box by any means possible, and second, to show the bravery and sense to choose the moments where you play, to try and stop Spain from suffocating you by embracing the risks head on. Alongside the equally courageous Jess Carter, England's centre backs were largely faultless. In some ways it was the perfect game for Williamson to have in front of her, an opportunity to display the two defining aspects of her leadership. It helped that she faced a remarkably similar situation in Arsenal's Champions League final win over Barcelona two months ago, a game where they lived on the edge throughout but grew confidence from their defiance. 'I did get a feeling from the Champions League final,' Williamson said 'I thought this is our day today.' Against Spain there were the blocks and the clearances, reading the game superbly to always be in the right place. There can be an accumulation of hundreds of split-second decisions involved when an opponent like Spain moves at pace, and Aitana Bonmati, Alexia Putellas and Mariona Caldentey rotate to pull a system out of shape. It can be easy to fall into a rudimentary sense of what defending is when required to repeatedly put your body on the line. Williamson did that, but she also played with a clarity to know to jump forward and press, or when to drop in and delay. Each gamble was an intelligent one. There was a moment midway through the second half and after Alessia Russo had equalised in the final where Williamson forcefully stepped up to intercept a pass into midfield, and then kept on going. She continued the run and slid as she squared the ball across the box, a delivery begging for a touch that didn't arrive. But it summed up how England found themselves and finally arrived at something resembling their potential after clawing a path through the tournament. Before the final, Williamson had spoken of how England could not afford to be 'fearful of losing' and that is basically what the Lionesses did after going 1-0 down, led by their captain every time she stepped out of the backline. It was embodied by the brilliance of Carter, back in the team after revealing the racist abuse she had received throughout the Euros but playing the final with a grin on her face after reaching extra time. 'She's a no-nonsense defender,' Williamson said. 'I've called her that before and she just gets sh-- done.' Carter was safe on the ball but secure. Williamson had to play, but only at the right times. She repeatedly found the moments to slow it down and trust Keira Walsh would be in position. Hannah Hampton produced the heroics in the shootout - and perhaps let's not talk about Williamson's own miss - but England's captain had a claim to be the player of the match before the penalties. Afterwards, standing on the pitch at St Jakob Park, Williamson said she felt a pressure to say 'something monumental', in part because of how effortlessly she stepped up to deliver the message and articulate the legacy of what England wanted Euro 2022 to be. It was a role Williamson performed so well that the image of her as a spokesperson for the Lionesses lasted much longer than her impact on the tournament as a player. Missing the 2023 World Cup through injury only prolonged that. But Williamson has left something monumental. In a tournament that has been won by England's grit, the captain of the European champions at both club and country also showed another way. All that remains now is a defining performance to stand alongside her place in history.
France 24
21 hours ago
- Sport
- France 24
England's remarkable Euro 2025 success a triumph for 'incredible' Wiegman
The Dutch coach has now firmly established herself as one of the greatest in the women's game. The Lionesses came from behind against Spain to draw 1-1 after extra time before winning Sunday's final 3-1 on penalties in Basel, exacting revenge for their defeat in the World Cup decider in 2023. England cannot claim to have been the most accomplished tournament winners, having started by losing 2-1 to France. That was followed by a quarter-final against Sweden in which they were 2-0 down with 12 minutes to go before roaring back to equalise and eventually win on penalties. Then came the semi-final against Italy, when Wiegman's team required a 96th-minute Michelle Agyemang equaliser to force extra time and Chloe Kelly scored the winner as a shoot-out loomed. England won the trophy despite being ahead for a grand total of one minute across three knockout ties, and Wiegman admitted: "This is the most chaotic and ridiculous tournament we have played. "Of course we have players who have talent, and the togetherness of this team is really, really incredible," she added. "The players think they can win by any means, and we just never, ever give up." Regardless of how they did it, Wiegman's Lionesses are the first England senior team, men's or women's, to lift a major trophy on foreign soil. Three in a row They were hit in the run-up to the tournament by the retirements of goalkeeper Mary Earps and Fran Kirby, along with Chelsea captain Millie Bright's decision to make herself unavailable. But England's success was achieved in large part thanks to their strength in depth, with the quality available to Wiegman on the bench helping them change the course of numerous games. If England do not have the same clearly defined way of playing as Aitana Bonmati's Spain, they do have a brilliant manager. The Lionesses had never won any major tournament before Wiegman arrived in 2021, and now they have won back-to-back Euros while also reaching a first Women's World Cup final. They have rarely done it easily, with just three wins out of nine in major tournament knockout matches under the Dutchwoman coming inside 90 minutes. But her influence is obvious, given the way England's players speak about her, and Wiegman's record is remarkable. She has been to five consecutive finals between European Championships and World Cups, and has won three straight Euros having led her native Netherlands to victory in 2017 before taking charge of England. "She is bloody amazing. She is an incredible woman," said Kelly, who scored the winning penalty against Spain. "We should all be so grateful for what she has done for this country. She has taken the women's game, not just in England but the whole women's game, to another level." Record attendance Thoughts will soon turn to what the future might hold for the winners and England will switch their attentions to the 2027 World Cup in Brazil, with qualifying starting early next year. English FA chief Mark Bullingham said last week that they were determined to retain Wiegman, whose contract runs through to the World Cup. Assuming they qualify, England will hope to be among the leading contenders along with Spain and Olympic champions the United States, coached by England's Emma Hayes. On the whole, the tournament in Switzerland confirmed the growing popularity of women's football, with the total attendance of 657,291 the highest ever at a European Championship -- even more than in England in 2022, despite over 87,000 attending that year's final at Wembley. It also confirmed England and Spain as the leading forces, off the back of Arsenal defeating Barcelona in the Women's Champions League final. But there was plenty of drama throughout the competition, and impressive performances elsewhere, notably from Italy in reaching their first semi-final since 1997. Wiegman is optimistic the competition will have a lasting impact in helping the women's game grow across the continent. "How I have experienced this tournament is that the level went up again, the intensity of the games went through the roof," said the 55-year-old. © 2025 AFP
BBC News
a day ago
- Sport
- BBC News
'Greatest achievement in English football history'
"This year it was meant for England."Lucy Bronze, England's most decorated footballer, the one player who epitomises what it is to be a Lioness, just had a feeling all with a fractured tibia throughout the tournament, Bronze would not give up. She would not miss this moment, as her side defended their European title and overcame the world champions on foreign 33-year-old more than played her part. She only came off when she could no longer run through the pain, tears forming in her eyes, as she finally allowed someone to take her place in extra time of England's penalty-shootout victory over Spain in the Euro 2025 Wiegman's side defied the odds, silenced the doubters, came back from the brink over and over and over again. They simply won at any cost. At the end of it there can be no doubts. This was the greatest achievement in the history of English football. It is the first time an England team have won a major trophy on foreign soil after Wiegman's side delivered at home in 2022, and the men's 1966 World Cup victory took place at Wembley Lionesses also became the first English side to defend their title - and they did it by coming from behind at half time - the first time that had been done before in the women's cemented manager Wiegman's status as one of the world's greatest with her third successive European title - achieved with two was her fifth major final in a row and Wiegman has won three of them, a simply remarkable could barely believe it as she danced, arm-in-arm with captain Leah Williamson, allowing the mask to slip as England's understated and composed leader."I actually can't believe it myself. I was like 'how can this happen?' But it happened. I'm so incredibly proud of the team. I'm so happy," she said afterwards. Wiegman's watch notification during hew news conference reminded her of a workout she was due to have. "I won't be doing that anymore," she joked. And you can understand had already exhausted herself, going through every emotion imaginable in what she described as the "most ridiculous and chaotic" tournament of her players had not made it easy for themselves, acknowledging the stress they had put their families under and how they "almost killed" Wiegman off - at least led for just four minutes and 52 seconds in the knockout stage of the tournament and yet somehow had their hands on the trophy in Basel, surrounded by gold confetti, with the soundtrack of Queen's 'We Are The Champions' playing in the kick-off, England were written off. In fact, they were written off before Euro 2025 started when Mary Earps and Fran Kirby retired out of the blue and World Cup captain Millie Bright withdrew from that would be unsettling? Their poor defeat by France in the opening game only strengthend that narrative. But England bounced back. They comfortably beat the Netherlands and Wales to reach the knockout were 2-0 down to Sweden in the quarter-finals and came back. Sweden only scored two of their seven penalties, so even when goalkeeper Jennifer Falk saved four of England's, it was not enough. Luck was on England's was the moment Wiegman admitted the thought: 'hmm, we might be going home tomorrow' had crossed her were 1-0 down again to Italy in the semi-finals before teenager Michelle Agyemang scored a 96th-minute equaliser and Kelly netted the winner in the 119th minute of extra had not lost in 10 games, they were the world champions and they were the pre-tournament favourites. When they went 1-0 up in the final, England were on the ropes. They looked down and out. But that was not how the script had been written. England had decided that. So calm was Wiegman, that as her players looked around St Jakob-Park before kick-off, the Dutchwoman waved to members of the media in the strolled around with her hands in her pockets. She had been here before, England had been here before and they had an unwavering journalists were positive about the Lionesses chances' at half-time - "England can come back from 1-0 down", "Michelle Agyemang will come on" - but doubt 'super subs' had done the job in 2022. Kelly, Alessia Russo and Ella Toone all shone in their roles as Wiegman stuck with the same starting XI throughout and trusted those coming on off the bench to make an proved to be a winning formula she did not waiver from in 2025, instead renaming the substitutes as 'finishers' and entrusting them with the same togetherness of the squad was apparent. Bronze's willingness to play through pain, the players' reaction to team-mate Jess Carter receiving racial abuse was impactful and Williamson's act of pushing Agyemang towards fans to receive adulation following their semi-final win was deliberate. "It is ridiculous. Every time we came back from behind. Of course we have players that have talent. But the togetherness of this team is incredible," said Wiegman. "Also, the belief that we can come back. The players say they can come back by any means and they just never give up. "Every player is ready to come onto the pitch and show up straight away. That is not easy. I'm just really grateful that I'm part of this team." The magnitude of what the Lionesses were on the cusp of achieving was clear before kick-off as cameras turned to point to the faces in the top-tier Minister Keir Starmer, Prince William with Princess Charlotte, along with Spain's Princess Leonor and Uefa president Alexander Ceferin were all watching stars from other nations had come to watch two of the world's heavyweights go to battle, including Switzerland's Lia Walti and the USA's Catarina Macario, supporting their Arsenal and Chelsea team-mates in men's international Reece James flew out to support his sister Lauren and Football Association chief Mark Bullingham was with them throughout their journey in has already made it emphatically clear that Wiegman, who is under contract until the 2027 World Cup, is "not for sale at any price" and you can understand this generation of players, some who were on the fringes in 2022, and others more experienced, such as Bronze and Alex Greenwood, Wiegman has turned the Lionesses into a team that is feared in major tournaments and have become serial other teams in England's history have faltered at the final hurdle, this squad proved they could do it again, even when many thought they could not."From the first game it was chaos. Losing your first game and becoming European Champions is incredible. Football is chaos," Wiegman said to BBC Sport's TV cameras while Bronze was being piggy-backed by goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse in the background, celebrating with fans. Bronze knew what England were capable of. Now everybody else knows.
