Leah Williamson reveals which Lioness goes hardest on a victory night out
England captain Leah Williamson has said her fellow Lioness Chloe Kelly is the player to watch when the team embark on a post-victory night out.
The England team celebrated in Switzerland on Sunday night (27 July) after defeating Spain in penalties to defend their European crown, having won the Euros in 2022.
As captain, Williamson, 28, made history as the first player to lift two trophies with England. Meanwhile, Kelly’s confident spot kick evaded Spain’s keeper Cata Coll to secure England’s win.
Speaking to The Times about post-match celebrations, Williamson said: “If I’m on a night out with the Lionesses, Chloe Kelly is the one to watch. She’s never drunk a drop of alcohol but she’ll always be the last one standing.”
The Arsenal defender said the squad were “all quite boring really”, adding that “no one ever gets into any trouble”.
Williamson, however, admitted that they did “all let loose” after securing their first Euros win against Germany at Wembley stadium in 2022.
“I’ll never forget how that victory made me feel but I remember more about the party than the 90 minutes on the pitch,” she said.
The Lionesses completed a remarkable tournament of comebacks to become the first England team to ever defend a title and seize Euro glory for a second time.
Williamson’s squad partied into the early hours of the morning at their luxury five-star hotel in Zurich following the triumph, with midfielder Ella Toone belting out “River Deep – Mountain High” on karaoke. Toone dedicated her performance to former Lioness Rachel Daly.
The history-making team will take part in a homecoming celebration in central London on Tuesday (29 July) with a bus parade along The Mall, finishing in front of Buckingham Palace.
England manager Serena Wiegman said of the team’s victory: “I must admit that I always think this is the most chaotic and ridiculous tournament we have played.
“But every time we could come back, because quarter-final, semi-final, and now, in the final, we came from behind [to win]. Of course, we have players that have talent and the togetherness of this team is really, really incredible. But also the belief that we can come back.”
“The players say, ‘We can win by any means.’ We just never, ever give up,” she said.
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