Georgia Stanway says “we knew that we were going to be the better team” following England win over Wales | OneFootball

After playing a big part in England’s 6-1 win against Wales, Georgia Stanway spoke on just how the team got over the line.

Beth Mead, Ella Toone and captain Leah Williamson also touched on a positive end to the group stage, as well as the Swedish challenge to come.

Georgia Stanway

Georgia Stanway scored the first goal of the game, from the penalty spot. She was taken down just inside the box by Wales’ Carrie Jones who had taken her down, resulting in a VAR awarded penalty.

“We set the bar for ourselves, and we just needed to repeat it today. Very happy to be out of the group, there has been many moments in this tournament where we thought there could be a chance of us going home, but it’s really nice to still be here,” she said.

“I’m super happy that we continued the standards we set against The Netherlands. We continued where we left off and we could build momentum. Today was just about being patient, tire them out, making them run.

“The last game was relief and pride, whereas this game was about us executing exactly what we wanted to do. We knew that we were going to be the better team, but it was making sure that we could get the ball over the line. Us getting the early goal allowed us to relax, allowed us to settle in, and allowed people to make their European debuts.”

“Sweden are good. They are a direct team, they are physical. They can pose challenges to us. I don’t think we’ve played that style of play in the group so far. We have got a lot of experience about them and I am happy to see some of my [club] teammates.”

Beth Mead

Beth Mead scored the fifth goal of the night after coming on as a halftime substitute for Lauren Hemp. It was her first goal at a major tournament without her mum there, June Mead, who passed away due to ovarian cancer in January 2023.

“It’s special for me [to get on the scoresheet], there’s an expectation of forwards to score, especially in England. It was nice to get on the scoresheet, it was a nice moment for me, and nice to be able to think about my mum a little bit in those moments as well,” she said.

Ella Toone lost her dad earlier this year to prostate cancer. She also got on the scoresheet tonight, and Mead said: “We both struggled in the first game against France. You look to the stands for the person who is standing there, and they are not there anymore. My mum was the first person I would look for, so I understand what Ella felt in that moment. It’s special to have that moment, think about them, and dedicate it to them.”

England lost their opening game of the tournament against France, but Mead has found the positives in that result.

“It didn’t seem like it at the time, but it’s probably the best thing that could have happened to us. It motivated us, we had hard conversations, we figured things out. You don’t win or lose a tournament in the first game. It’s cliché to say it, but you don’t. And now we are in a position where we are building quite nicely and hopefully we can continue that momentum now into the quarter-final,” she said.

Ella Toone

Ella Toone scored the second goal of the night, assisted both Hemp and Alessia Russo on the third and fourth goal, and came off with a 100% pass completion.

“I felt really good. They are the games that I find really difficult,” she said. “As a 10, you want the space, when a team sits in a really deep block, there is not a lot of space in the middle of the pitch, so I had to find space elsewhere, and make sure I made those runs in behind even though there was no space there either. But I really enjoyed it, I got on the ball, I tried to create things, and it’s nice that I got two assists and a goal and I just wish that I could have played a little bit more.

“I’m a number 10, I want to take risks, I want to find passes that sometimes might not come off, and I always say it’s okay to make a mistake. I’ll take the 100% pass completion, the players around me make me feel like that, I’m with all these players that every time I get the ball there is someone to pass to. I feel really good at the minute, really confident and enjoying my football, so hopefully I can continue with that in the next games.”

Leah Williamson

England’s captain, Leah Williamson also spoke on a mixed group stage.

“We had to work hard to do what we just did. It’s been an emotional group stage with ups and downs,” she said.

As for England’s next challenge, Williamson said she felt their upcoming opponents can’t be underestimated.

“Sweden are a fantastic team. They are relentless in the way they go about their game and I think they sort of avoid the expectation of every tournament. And everybody talks about them, slightly disrespectful I think, because they always show up and they always seem to pose a threat to most teams and normally come out with a medal or as a semi-final team. Strong team. We look forward to the fixture,” she said.

England will face Sweden in the quarter-finals on Thursday July 17th at 21:00 CET (20:00 GMT).