Published 09 April 2024 3 min read
England Women's Senior Team
Leah Williamson: 'When I put this badge on, I feel ten times taller'
The Lionesses captain spoke after her return to international football yielded victory for England over Republic of Ireland
England captain Leah Williamson admits she felt great being back on the pitch, after her return to international action helped the Lionesses to a 2-0 win over Republic of Ireland in Dublin.
The Arsenal defender has been out of action for over a year following a serious knee injury, with this game being her first on the international scene following her recall to Sarina Wiegman’s squad.
“When I put this badge on, I feel ten times taller, ten times stronger,” said Williamson.
“The girls are such a great group of girls and I loved every second of that.
"These days with an ACL, you come back hopefully in a healthy way but I wanted to be good enough to play for England again.
“The standards are so high and the players that have been here have made them higher. This was the thought, so I feel like today is sort of a completion of that journey.”
The Arsenal defender has been out of action for over a year following a serious knee injury, with this game being her first on the international scene following her recall to Sarina Wiegman’s squad.
“When I put this badge on, I feel ten times taller, ten times stronger,” said Williamson.
“The girls are such a great group of girls and I loved every second of that.
"These days with an ACL, you come back hopefully in a healthy way but I wanted to be good enough to play for England again.
“The standards are so high and the players that have been here have made them higher. This was the thought, so I feel like today is sort of a completion of that journey.”
First-half goals from Lauren James and Alex Greenwood put England in control at the Aviva Stadium with a 2-0 lead before Greenwood saw a second spot-kick hit the post before half time.
But Williamson and her teammates had to dig deep after the break as the hosts, backed by a record crowd for a women’s game in Ireland, piled on the pressure in their search for a way back into the contest.
"We knew we had to come in tonight and win which is why I'm so happy with it,” added Williamson.
“I know that it wasn't a convincing last 20 minutes but I'm very happy with three points, we just need to keep the ball a bit better.
“That's what we did the first time we controlled it, and they controlled us for that last 20 minutes but we defended hard and stayed in the game which I think is important."
The Lionesses will be in action again next month, when they host France in Newcastle on Friday 31 May before facing the reverse fixture in Saint-Etienne on Tuesday 4 June.
But Williamson and her teammates had to dig deep after the break as the hosts, backed by a record crowd for a women’s game in Ireland, piled on the pressure in their search for a way back into the contest.
"We knew we had to come in tonight and win which is why I'm so happy with it,” added Williamson.
“I know that it wasn't a convincing last 20 minutes but I'm very happy with three points, we just need to keep the ball a bit better.
“That's what we did the first time we controlled it, and they controlled us for that last 20 minutes but we defended hard and stayed in the game which I think is important."
The Lionesses will be in action again next month, when they host France in Newcastle on Friday 31 May before facing the reverse fixture in Saint-Etienne on Tuesday 4 June.
MATCH CENTRE: IRELAND v ENGLAND