England captain Leah Williamson admits she was reduced to tears as fans gathered in London to celebrate the Lionesses’ 2025 Women’s Euro victory over Spain in the final.
Sarina Wiegman’s team were defending their European crown in Switzerland, and got off to the worst possible start after losing their opening match to France.
They recovered their confidence with 4-0 and 6-1 victories over the Netherlands and Wales respectively, then recovered from 2-0 down to Sweden to draw 2-2 and then beat them in a chaotic penalty shootout.
Italian job
The defending champions had their mettle tested again by Italy in the semi-finals, but saw them off 2-1 in extra time.
And in Sunday’s final, England fell behind to world champions Spain – but equalised through Alessia Russo, then went on to win another shootout.
Goalkeeper Hannah Hampton played a starring role to seal a 3-1 win capped off by Chloe Kelly.
The Lionesses’ victory sparked scenes of celebrations all over England, and the players and Wiegman enjoyed an open-top parade in the capital on Tuesday.
Chaos theory
England manager Wiegman said: “Yes, it was chaos. They didn’t keep their promise to finish things quicker, but we always have a plan, and we try to execute that.
“They showed up when it was really necessary and urgent.
“Of course there is huge talent in this team, also, the bonding in this team made the absolute difference.
“Everyone was ready to step up and support each other. It was amazing to be a part of.”
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Tears of joy
England captain Leah Williamson overcame a tricky tournament but stepped up in the final with a sublime display – and she said: “I’ve been crying all the way down The Mall.
“This is one of the best things I’ve ever been involved in, so thank you for coming out.
“There are lots of ways to win a football match and we repeatedly did it the hard way.
“But you can see how much we care about playing for England. We love it.
“2022 was a fairytale but this feels really hard earned. We’re so proud of ourselves and we hope you are too.
“Stay with us, this story isn’t done yet!”
Living a dream
England number one Hampton, who plays for Chelsea, hopes the victory inspires lots more young girls to follow their dream.
She said on Sky Sports: “The tournament didn’t start the way I wanted it to, and the girls kept me going – to be standing here right now is amazing.
“Don’t let people tell you what you can and can’t do, if you’ve got a dream go out and live it.
“I got told many times [that] I’m not good enough, that I shouldn’t be playing football.
“If it makes you happy, go follow that smile.”
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Amazing moment
And veteran England defender Lucy Bronze, who played through the pain barrier and injury throughout the tournament, said: “It’s amazing, this moment is unbelievable. To do it again is amazing.
“Thank you so much to each and every team-mate, the group effort was unreal.
“I’ve never seen anything like it. From 1-23, every single person has played such a big part of what this team has created this special summer.”
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