England very optimistic Leah Williamson will be fit for semi-final

Independent

4 days ago

England defender Esme Morgan insisted the Lionesses were 'very optimistic' captain Leah Williamson would be fit to play in Tuesday's Euro 2025 semi-final against Italy after she was forced off in their dramatic last-eight triumph over Sweden.
Williamson rolled her ankle and left Thursday's contest in the first period of extra-time – after goals from Lucy Bronze and Michelle Agyemang snatched the Lionesses a late 2-2 draw after 90 minutes – before they booked a last-four spot following a dramatic penalty shootout.
Morgan was introduced as part of a 70th-minute triple change and is prepared to play any role for the defending champions in Geneva – including stepping in for the skipper, if necessary.
But, she stressed: 'We are very optimistic that Leah will be available. She seemed in very high spirits this morning, and I want what's best for the team and that's absolutely having our captain on the pitch for us.
'The same as every single game, I'm going to be prepared to play if I'm needed. I'll know the role and just be absolutely ready to train at at high level over the next few days, but we're very optimistic Leah will be fine.'
England boss Sarina Wiegman revealed after the Sweden victory that Williamson would be assessed on Friday, though no further updates were yet provided on the captain's status ahead of what will be England's sixth-consecutive major tournament semi-final.
Williamson was spotted in a boot and using crutches immediately after the match, which was understood to have been a precautionary measure.
Morgan said her mother was 'sobbing' when she came on for her first major tournament appearance, tasked with delivering a now-viral note to Bronze and Williamson she swears she did not read, suspecting it simply contained the formation but joking later on her Instagram account that it read 'save us GOAT', in reference to Bronze.
And that's what the seven-time major tournament veteran ultimately did, when she sent what became England's winning penalty – with their seventh attempt – down the middle, before slamming the ball down in celebration.
'I don't think (how important Bronze is) can be put into words,' said Morgan. 'She's such an incredible leader on this team. We're all inspired by her mentality.
'She's a freak, really. She has so much passion, energy, fire and she infects everyone else with it. That note might as well have said that, because apparently that's what she read on it.'
There was, admitted Morgan, a fleeting moment, when England were 2-0 down at the end of the first half, that she entertained the possibility their campaign could be coming to an end.
'I thought, 'I've not packed anything. My wardrobes are full right now. I've not got anything in my suitcases ready',' added Morgan.
'But I really had a sense throughout the game, even when we were down, that it wasn't our time to go.
'I think sometimes you just have a sense of calm, which, I can't explain why it's there, but just a relief, really, that we're not going to let this happen.
'I always had faith that we were going to be able to turn it around and thankfully that happened.'