Story not done yet, says emotional Leah Williamson as England celebrate Euro win

South Wales Guardian

4 days ago

There was an open-top bus parade just after midday, as thousands of fans flocked to see the procession along the Mall, before a staged ceremony at the Queen Victoria Memorial in front of Buckingham Palace.
The moment was not lost on Williamson as she held back tears among the revelry, less than 48 hours after the Lionesses retained their European Championship crown by beating Spain in the Basel final on penalties.
Proud 🥹 pic.twitter.com/7DESnox9pV
— Lionesses (@Lionesses) July 29, 2025
The England captain said: 'I'm holding back tears. I've been crying all the way down the Mall. This is unbelievable and it's one of the best things we've ever been a part of so thanks for coming out.
'Everything we do, we do it for us and our team but we do it for the country and young girls. This job never existed 30 or 40 years ago and we're making history every single step. Stay with us, this story is not done yet.'
England showed incredible defiance throughout the tournament, from bouncing back from their opening defeat to France and demonstrating their never-say-die attitude in the knockout stages.
They trailed 2-0 in the quarters to Sweden and 1-0 to Italy in the semis as well as going behind in the showpiece against Spain only to battle back to make sure they kept the trophy they won three years ago.
Williamson told the crowd: 'There's 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 and how much we love it – 2022 was a fairy tale but this feels really hard-earned and we're very proud of ourselves so thank you and we hope you are, too.
'The first game maybe rocked us a little bit but I just think we're special people and we love each other, we've got each others' back on and off the pitch. We had tough moments, nasty things to deal with and still we rise.'
It was a third consecutive European Championship crown for England head coach Sarina Wiegman, who led the Netherlands to glory in 2017.
She said: 'It was chaos. I hoped a little less chaos but they didn't keep their promise to finish things quicker! We just kept having hope and belief and they just showed up when it was really necessary and urgent.
'There is a huge talent pool in this team. In 2022 we had great bonding but I think that made the absolute difference now: everyone was ready to step up and support each other. It was amazing to be a part of.'
Goalkeeper Hannah Hampton was so instrumental in keeping Spain at bay in a 1-1 draw as well as the 3-1 final shootout success.
Asked what she was thinking ahead of penalties, she replied: 'Just do whatever I can for the team – they ran around for 120 minutes and I've got it easy just standing still in my own 18-yard box.'
She added: 'Don't let people tell you what you can and can't do. If you've got a dream and you really believe it, go out and do it. I did it.
'I got told many times that I'm not good enough and I shouldn't be playing football from the start. Keep doing it and if it makes you happy, go follow that smile.'
Teenager Michelle Agyemang was named best young player of the tournament after scoring late levellers in England's quarter-final against Sweden and then Italy in the semis.
All for this moment! ❤️ pic.twitter.com/JCh9xA7PeS
— Lionesses (@Lionesses) July 29, 2025
The 19-year-old said: 'I don't know what to say. It's surreal, it doesn't seem real seeing people down there. It's crazy to see what we've done and be here today.'
The talismanic Lucy Bronze added: 'This moment is unbelievable. We did it three years ago but to do it again and to come back to this is just incredible.'
Asked how this party compared to three years ago, Bronze replied: 'I don't remember.'