Leah Williamson hints there is still more to come from the Lionesses after Euros victory

Independent

3 days ago

An emotional Leah Williamson declared that the Lionesses' journey was far from over as England celebrated their Euro 2025 triumph with an open-top bus parade through central London on Tuesday. Thousands of jubilant fans lined the Mall, culminating in a staged ceremony at the Queen Victoria Memorial in front of Buckingham Palace, where the team was met with rapturous applause. Less than 48 hours after securing their European Championship crown by defeating Spain on penalties in the Basel final, the significance of the moment was palpable for the England captain, who fought back tears amidst the revelry.
"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," Williamson told the adoring crowd. She added: "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."
The Lionesses' path to retaining their title was marked by remarkable defiance, showcasing a never-say-die attitude throughout the tournament. After an opening defeat to France, England staged dramatic comebacks, trailing 2-0 to Sweden in the quarter-finals, 1-0 to Italy in the semi-finals, and going behind in the showpiece against Spain, only to battle back and secure the trophy they first won three years prior.
Reflecting on their challenging route to victory, Williamson told supporters: "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."
For England head coach Sarina Wiegman, this marked her third consecutive European Championship crown, having previously led the Netherlands to glory in 2017. "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," Wiegman remarked. She praised the squad's depth and unity: "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 proved instrumental in the final, keeping Spain at bay during the 1-1 draw and the subsequent 3-1 penalty shootout success. Asked about her mindset before the penalties, Hampton stated: "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 offered an inspiring message to aspiring athletes: "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, named best young player of the tournament, made a significant impact by scoring crucial late equalisers in the quarter-final against Sweden and the semi-final against Italy. The 19-year-old expressed her disbelief: "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 experienced 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." When asked to compare the current celebrations to those three years prior, Bronze quipped: "I don't remember."