Leah Williamson hits back at critics who called England ‘lucky’

The Lionesses won 3-1 on penalties

Williamson — also a European winner with her club side Arsenal this season — became the first English captain to ever lift a trophy on foreign soil during this Sunday’s European Championship final in Basel. 

Despite the Lionesses' perseverance, beating Italy and Sweden in the knockouts before taking on Spain, some voices have expressed a sense that England weren’t the tournament’s deserving winners.

Amongst those critics was Spain’s captain Irene Paredes, who made her feelings immediately clear after the full time whistle had blown, as she spoke to TVE.

Paredes said: "We tried everything, all the different ways, and then the penalties didn't go our way.”

"I thought we deserved it more but in the end it is not about who deserves it."

"It is about having that bit of luck and England had that throughout the whole tournament. We thought we could overcome that but we weren't able to.”

Spain had the lion’s share of possession (65%) and managed 22 shots during the 120-minute match, but were unable to beat the resolve of a English defence led by Williamson and keeper Hannah Hampton. 

Paredes went on to say: “I think we had more control of the game than they did, we created more clear chances, we had more possession. But yeah, nothing else."

Before even hearing what her Spanish counterpart had to say, Leah Williamson provided the perfect response to the critical comments, as she spoke to the BBC, also just minutes after full-time. 

The two-time European champion said: "We have ridden our luck, but I don't think we were lucky.” 

"Total disbelief, but at the same time I knew it was going to happen. There's always a moment when I think 'right girls, let's turn it on'. The way we defended as a team, nothing came through us. It felt like it was going to be our day."

Regardless of luck, the Lionesses became the first England side to ever defend a major trophy, putting to bed the disappointment of losing to Spain in the 2023 World Cup final. 

Although Leah Williamson missed her penalty in the shootout, her teammates were there to ensure it didn't matter.

24-year-old keeper Hannah Hampton — who was playing at her first major international tournament — saved a penalty from Ballon D'Or winner Aitana Bonmati, setting up Chloe Kelly to seal the win.