Captain Leah Williamson said she felt “10 times taller and 10 times stronger” after returning to the England squad for the first time in a year in the win over the Republic of Ireland.
England achieved their first win in Euro 2025 qualifying. 2-0 win in Dublin Thanks to first-half goals from Lauren James and Alex Greenwood.
Williamson played a key role in keeping a clean sheet despite Republic of Ireland's late pressure.
“I had my eye on this,” she said.
“To be honest, I really, really love playing for England. I feel 10 times taller and 10 times stronger when I wear this badge. They're such a great group of girls. I loved every minute of it.”
Williamson last started for the Lionesses in a friendly against Australia on April 11, 2023, when she suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury eight days earlier, leaving England as runners-up at the Women's World Cup. I missed out on participating.
“These days I have an ACL and the hope is that I will come back healthy, but I wanted to be at a level where I could play for England again,” Williamson added.
“The standards are very high and the players here have raised them even higher. I felt like today was the completion of that journey.”
Williamson said she “struggled” to contain her emotions when she spotted her mother in the crowd during the national anthem.
“I was most emotional when the game ended. I would have liked to have stayed and been there, but it was a journey. It feels good,” she added.
England manager Sarina Wigman said she was “delighted” with Williamson's performance and said it was a “must get over” moment for her following her injury.
“I need to look back, but my first reaction is I'm happy with her performance and she did well,” Wiegman said.
“I thought she was very front-footed and alert. Her overall passing was great and in some moments she won duels that were really needed.” [for us] To win. “
“I'm always under pressure to win.”
England's victory at the Aviva Stadium was decisive. A frustrating 1-1 draw with Sweden Friday's qualifying group standings mean they are two points behind leaders France.
They next face France in May, and Williamson said England “will improve” after having slowed down this month.
“They'll probably get better too, but you can expect a competitive side.” [in May]'' said Williamson.
“The most important thing was the three points, that's what we came here for.Obviously we wanted to be more convincing, like in the first half, but sometimes you have to see the game through. be.
“This says a lot about the standards we all think [the 1-1 draw with Sweden] It's a setback now. We knew we had to come here and win, so I'm very happy.It wasn't convincing [last] We have 20 minutes left, but I'm very happy with the three points.'' Wiegmann wants his team to be better on the ball and needs to improve if they want to remain among Europe's elite who won the Euro 2022 title. said it was necessary to do so.
“We know [France] Top level, so yes, we have to be top level,” she said.
“We have to constantly improve. Firstly, because we want to improve. Secondly, if we want to stay at the top, we have to grow. I request.”
England midfielder Keira Walsh said: “That's the great thing about playing for England. You're always under pressure to win. A lot of our players thrive on that.'' added.
“If you watch the first half, you can see that, [against the Republic of Ireland] We knew it was going to be a big game, but it was a great team performance. ”
