Published 27 July 2022 5 min read
England Women's Senior Team
Bronze: 'Enjoy the game and enjoy the moment'
Lionesses defender says squad won't lose their focus ahead of EURO 2022 Final
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Lucy Bronze believes the England squad won’t let themselves get carried away as they turn their focus to Sunday’s UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 Final.
The Lionesses secured their first appearance in a EURO final since 2009 on Tuesday evening, after a stunning 4-0 victory over Sweden in Sheffield.
But Bronze, who scored England’s crucial second goal on the night, says they have the best leader in the shape of head coach Sarina Wiegman to make sure the environment is right for the next three days in camp.
“In a home EUROs there’s a lot of emotion and a lot of support, so we don’t want to get carried away too much and she’s [Wiegman] one of those people that is very process driven,” revealed Bronze.
“She’s very excited but once the game’s done, we’re onto the next game.
“We don’t get carried away with our emotion but on and off the field we still enjoy the game and still enjoy the moment at the right time.
The Lionesses secured their first appearance in a EURO final since 2009 on Tuesday evening, after a stunning 4-0 victory over Sweden in Sheffield.
But Bronze, who scored England’s crucial second goal on the night, says they have the best leader in the shape of head coach Sarina Wiegman to make sure the environment is right for the next three days in camp.
“In a home EUROs there’s a lot of emotion and a lot of support, so we don’t want to get carried away too much and she’s [Wiegman] one of those people that is very process driven,” revealed Bronze.
“She’s very excited but once the game’s done, we’re onto the next game.
“We don’t get carried away with our emotion but on and off the field we still enjoy the game and still enjoy the moment at the right time.
“Obviously she’s been through the process many times before, making the final [in charge of the Netherlands in 2017] so she probably knows better than anyone.
“I think it’s quite funny that pretty much everyone in the whole of Holland said they’ve never seen Sarina Wiegman jump around like she did after the Spain game.
“I think she said herself that the Spanish performance was one of the best she’d ever seen - to overcome that was amazing, not just for the team but for her as a manager and coach as well.
“But for players like myself, Ellen [White] and Fran [Kirby] who’ve experienced a lot of semi-final defeats, it’s nice get over those defeats and get over the line and finally get ourselves in the final.
“It’s certainly not job done and I think anyone I’ve spoken to before the tournament knows I was always focused on wanting to win the final.
“Now we’ve got every chance of doing that. That was a job we came here to do and now we’ve got ourselves in the best position to do that.”
“I think it’s quite funny that pretty much everyone in the whole of Holland said they’ve never seen Sarina Wiegman jump around like she did after the Spain game.
“I think she said herself that the Spanish performance was one of the best she’d ever seen - to overcome that was amazing, not just for the team but for her as a manager and coach as well.
“But for players like myself, Ellen [White] and Fran [Kirby] who’ve experienced a lot of semi-final defeats, it’s nice get over those defeats and get over the line and finally get ourselves in the final.
“It’s certainly not job done and I think anyone I’ve spoken to before the tournament knows I was always focused on wanting to win the final.
“Now we’ve got every chance of doing that. That was a job we came here to do and now we’ve got ourselves in the best position to do that.”
27 Jul 2022
2:29
Highlights: England 4-0 Sweden
Watch the best of the action as the Lionesses seal their place in the EURO 2022 final
The Barcelona-bound defender was also happy to play a big role in the victory, having set up Beth Mead’s first-half opener to change the complexion of the match before doubling the advantage soon after the break.
“The goals and assists are not something I consider a major part of my game,” she admits.
“I’d much rather the likes of Beth, Ellen and Hempo get on the scoresheet. I enjoyed it though. I’ve not scored in a EUROs, this is my first European goal as I’d only scored in World Cups previously.
“The goal came at a really important time straight after half time, which kind of killed any chance that they had and meant the game was a bit stretched.
“Once you’re 2-0 down in a semi-final, you’ve got to chase the goal and it opened up for us in an attacking sense.
“I think it was a tight game, the first half especially and they could’ve scored in the first 20 minutes, so I don’t think 4-0 really reflected the game.
“Everyone played their role, from Mary [Earps] at the back stopping every shot that came against her, us working together defensively and you could just see that everybody wants to work hard for each other, getting back.
“I think that’s why we’ve only conceded one goal this tournament. I know there’s been the same starting eleven on the pitch but credit to the whole squad on the way we train and train.
“It puts us in the best position possible. It’s an amazing depth of squad that pushes everyone in training. We’re ready to go as a team when the game kicks off.”
The Lionesses will now face either Germany or France in Sunday’s EURO 2022 Final.
“The goals and assists are not something I consider a major part of my game,” she admits.
“I’d much rather the likes of Beth, Ellen and Hempo get on the scoresheet. I enjoyed it though. I’ve not scored in a EUROs, this is my first European goal as I’d only scored in World Cups previously.
“The goal came at a really important time straight after half time, which kind of killed any chance that they had and meant the game was a bit stretched.
“Once you’re 2-0 down in a semi-final, you’ve got to chase the goal and it opened up for us in an attacking sense.
“I think it was a tight game, the first half especially and they could’ve scored in the first 20 minutes, so I don’t think 4-0 really reflected the game.
“Everyone played their role, from Mary [Earps] at the back stopping every shot that came against her, us working together defensively and you could just see that everybody wants to work hard for each other, getting back.
“I think that’s why we’ve only conceded one goal this tournament. I know there’s been the same starting eleven on the pitch but credit to the whole squad on the way we train and train.
“It puts us in the best position possible. It’s an amazing depth of squad that pushes everyone in training. We’re ready to go as a team when the game kicks off.”
The Lionesses will now face either Germany or France in Sunday’s EURO 2022 Final.
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