“A rollercoaster” is what Georgia Stanway said she would have tattooed to sum up Euro 2025 for the England players.
It hasn’t just been a bleak 48 hours after the squad publicly denounced the racism suffered by Jess Carter and other teammates. It’s been a tough tournament.
In the wake of the abuse Carter was receiving the Lionesses came together on Saturday afternoon to decide how they wanted to take a stand.
Statements were drafted, actions decided and players supported as the Lionesses helped come up with a strategy to say “enough is enough”.
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Sarina Wiegman and Georgia Stanway show their support for Jess Carter following the England defender’s admission that she has received racist abuse on social media.
The vile and degrading abuse suffered by the team’s Black players is heinous and it isn’t the only difficulty faced by the team over the last few months.
As many as four players from the starting 11 weren’t even sure they would make the Euros after coming back from long-term injuries.
Players in the squad, especially ones that had been representing their countries for years, had to deal with team-mates Mary Earps, Fran Kirby and Millie Bright stepping away and the constant questions that followed.
Jess Carter has spoken out after being subjected to racist online abuse
They had to deal with the threat of group-stage elimination, something the team hasn’t faced for a decade, after a demoralising defeat to France in the opening game.
Elimination looked certain after going two goals down to Sweden only for the team to dig deep and for Lucy Bronze and Michelle Agyemang to save the day before one of the most chaotic penalty shootouts in tournament history.
Stanway said earlier in the tournament “we want our football to do the talking” and the team is hoping a good performance against Italy not only gets them into their third consecutive final but also adds positivity to an emotionally drained group.
England were 2-0 down against Sweden before roaring back to win penalty shootout
When the phrase “proper England” was coined earlier in the competition perhaps it should not have just been to encapsulate a team that believes it can win a game even when the football isn’t dazzling.
It should be used to celebrate the mental fortitude and moral courage of the 23 players in the squad and the backroom team behind them.
Professional sportspeople are locked-in during major tournaments in a way that’s almost impossible to understand from the outside.
It’s that elite mindset that sets apart your favourite players from others.
For the squad to have the compassion, togetherness and strength to step away from their football bubble and say “this ends now”, days before their biggest game for two years is to be respected.
On Tuesday, however, this united, focussed and feared team goes again to show it’s not just a team that can deal adversity, it’s also one of the best groups of footballers on the planet.
