In football, sometimes it is not sophisticated tactics or super-class techniques that determine victory. There are matches, tournaments, and results decided by one thing only: Trust. The England women's team - the proud "Lionsesses" - at EURO 2025 is the clearest proof of that. They don't play beautiful football, don't win like perfect programming machines. But they know how to stand up after falling, know how to hold hands in the most stressful moments... and know how to finish work.
New England - a new challenge for the old champion
Coach Sarina Wiegman does not want his players to enter EURO 2025 with the mindset of "defending the throne". She chose another concept: New England - New England. A new challenge, a new journey, where each player must be ready to leave behind their old glory and fight like never before.
But the journey began with shocks. 3 pillars Millie Bright, Mary Earps and Fran Kirby have withdrawn from the list - some due to injury, some needing to rest, some wanting to give opportunities to the younger generation. Before the ball rolled, the team suffered a great mental loss. Wiegman, under pressure, is always positive. "Whether a player is ready or not, the result is the same as whether a player is injured or unable to play," she said, "You have to continue with what you want and the players are ready to play."
And luckily, she has the support and trust of captain Leah Williamson and her students.
Start to fail and stumble against France
In the opening match against France, the England women's team played like a dream. After losing 1-2, the defense was chaotic, superficial moves were punished by the opponent. Public opinion was confused and doubted the defending champion about the possibility of something happening from within.
The next morning, in the meeting room, no one blamed him. The whole team reviewed the video. It is also an opportunity for people to dialogue frankly. Some players admitted to "playing like a dream" and some confessed that they "feeled lonely on the pitch". They look in each other's eyes, recalling why they are here - not to keep a title, but to fight for each other, for the stories their lives bring to the team. Women's football is not as fashionable as men's football, but each person on the field is a journey filled with sweat and tears. When they remember that, they find a connection.
Former Lionesses Jill Scott and Toni duggan also sent a message of support to Lucy Bronze. The WhatsApp group - founded at EURO 2022 - is still active. Although not too excited, the group still sent messages like Hopefully, Onghen, or We believe in you.
The emotional train
Lionesses' EURO 2025 is an emotional journey. They had resounding wins: 4 - 0 against the Netherlands, 6 - 1 against Wales with 6 different players scoring. But there were also dark moments: Sweden took a 2-0 lead until the 78th minute, continuously missed passes, and penalty shots that made the audience heartbroken.
The common point is, they never sink. The reserve team - or rather finishers as Wiegman calls them - is the fire of salvation. Chelsea Chelsea, Michelle Agyemang turn on hope every time they enter the pitch. Bronze - a symbol of experience and resilience - took England to the semi-finals with a penalty kick after a seemingly broken match. Late goals and a few key saves all created a chaotic England side that could not be defeated.
Ella Toone also joked: "We almost made the coach stop heartbroken twice in this tournament". But it shows the feeling of the whole team living at the line between glory and depth. In the end, as long as they move forward together, they always have a way to end the story in the right direction.
message from the toilet bag
twice, before the semi-finals and before the finals, Wiegman took out a bag of clothes, on which he wrote the bold line: B**ches get s*** done (roughly translated: S kind girls will do). The message is not necessary for beauty: When stepping onto the field, don't think about being loved, do what needs to be done to win.
What is special about Wiegman is that she builds a team where no one feels they are redundant. Substate players are not thrown out. They have their own WhatsApp group called Positive Clicks, creating a handshake celebration just to prove that even though they are not in the starting lineup, they still belong to this team. grace Trump always remembers the moment the coach gave him his number 14 shirt and told him about idol Johan Cruyff - to understand that every small detail is also a treatise.
Perhaps that is why, in the most important moment of the tournament, the penalty was decided in the final, not
from the biggest star, but from Kelly - a "finisher". In this team, no one is a B option, everyone is part of the winning plan.
1 month of pressure and moments of humanity
People say the championship is the product of strategy, physical strength and skills. But for Lionesses, it is also a story of humanity. A month of living together under heavy pressure, small games and everyday moments become a precious medicine: Morning playing Monopoly deal, afternoon soaking in Zurich Lake, evening hugging Reggie dog to find a smile. Walsh was given a cup of tea by former player Jill Scott and taken to dinner, just to talk about things unrelated to football.
Before the semi-final against Italy, when Jess Carter was discriminated against online, the late-night team did not discuss any tactics, only listened, hugged each other and affirmed "we are a family". Stanway said: "Weak grass makes us stronger." In top-flight football, where the pressure is ready to crush even the toughest souls, that is the way to keep this team from breaking up.
Final - not perfect, but not afraid
Throughout the tournament, the England women's team took a total lead of less than 5 minutes. They live on spectacular escapes, a series of brain-weighing shots. But in Basel, meeting Spain again - the team that defeated Lionesses in the 2023 World Cup final - they are no longer afraid.
Wiegman said before the match: "We don't have to win, we want to win and we can win." A release from pressure. Williamson, as the leader, emphasized: "If you dare to try, dare to risk, the reward is huge". They came on with that mindset, no longer calculating, only determined.
120 minutes of suffocation, a few missed opportunities, a few slips, but the resilience was not shaken. In the penalty shootout, Beth Mead missed a shot, Hannah Hampton saved it, and Kelly finished the match. 3 - 1, the trophy remains for Lionesses. Wiegman became the first coach to win 3 European championships.
This victory is not a story of beautiful play, not of perfection. It is a story about a team that is brave enough to be reckless, strong enough to stand up after a fall, cold enough to "come to work" when the decisive moment comes.
