England captain Leah Williamson has been given a chance of recovering in time for the Euro 2025 semi-final against Italy, after rolling her ankle during extra time in the quarter-final win over Sweden. The centre-back was substituted in the second half of extra time, but optimism remains high that she will be available for Tuesday's clash in Geneva.
Fellow defender Esme Morgan expressed confidence in Williamson's recovery over the weekend. 'We’re very optimistic that Leah will be available,' Morgan told reporters. 'She seemed in very high spirits this morning and I want what’s best for the team, and that’s absolutely having our captain on the pitch for us.'
Williamson played the full 90 minutes in all three group matches and managed 105 minutes against Sweden before being replaced. Her presence at Monday's training session in Opfikon provided further encouragement for the Lionesses.
Opponents Italy have been one of the surprise packages of the tournament, finishing second in their group and then stunning previously unbeaten Norway in the quarter-finals. They have had an extra day to recover, while England needed penalties to overcome Sweden after a physical match in Zurich.
England boss Sarina Wiegman praised her team's resilience after the Sweden game. 'What we can control is the team just fighting to get back into the game,' she said. 'That togetherness and fighting back shows so much resilience.'
The winner of Tuesday's semi-final will face either Spain or Germany in Sunday's final in Basel. Spain beat hosts Switzerland 2-0 in their quarter-final, while Germany progressed on penalties despite playing most of their match with 10 players.
