‘it’s In Our Blood, Our Dna’: Wales Captain Outlines Desire To Knock Out England

The Wales captain, Angharad James, says it is successful nan players’ humor and DNA to want to sound England retired of Euro 2025 arsenic nan sides hole to meet successful Sunday’s last Group D fixture.

England cognize triumph would guarantee advancement to nan knockout stages and could spell done without winning. Wales must triumph by astatine slightest a four-goal separator to person immoderate dream of reaching nan quarter-finals and request nan Netherlands to suffer to France.

James said “all nan unit is connected England” arsenic she appeared to effort a fewer mind gameson Saturday. The midfielder made clear her first privilege was Wales’s gameplan but past said: “As a Welshwoman, do you want to sound England out? Of people you do. It’s successful our blood, our DNA, and nan rivalry has ever been location and ever will beryllium there.

“But you person to travel backmost to nan juncture and this is conscionable different crippled of football. Hopefully we tin execute successful a amended measurement than we did against France, support improving our performances and nan consequence comes pinch that.”

James said astir really overmuch of a motivating facet it was for Wales, astatine their first awesome women’s tournament, to beryllium facing England: “There’s nary hiding down nan history of Wales versus England, immoderate athletics you are playing in. It’s a rivalry lucifer and it’s 1 everyone wants to play in.

“As a group, we’ve travel connected truthful overmuch since nan first crippled [versus nan Netherlands], nan 2nd crippled was specified a large betterment from america and we’re looking to measurement it up again successful this game. But nan unit is each connected England. They person to travel out, they person to perform. They’re expected to triumph this game. Within our group we judge we tin upset a very apical squad but we’re preparing arsenic normal and we’re fresh for nan fight.”

Wales are nan lowest-ranked squad successful nan tourney and awesome underdogs successful Group D, having been pitted against nan defending champions, England, nan 2017 champions, nan Netherlands, and nan 2022 semi-finalists France, but James believes that person taken unprecedented strides by qualifying for nan finals successful Switzerland.

“Before we came to this tournament, we said: ‘We person already won, immoderate happens,’” she said. “We’ve had small wins astatine this tourney [such as] Jess [Fishlock] scoring our first goal, and a consequence tomorrow nighttime would beryllium our adjacent ‘win’.

“It’s large for our nation, being here, showing each nan small girls and boys astatine location that we tin beryllium connected nan biggest stage, tin compete astatine nan biggest stage, and we merit to beryllium present arsenic a nation.”

The Wales caput coach, Rhian Wilkinson, agreed and urged her squad to effort to origin an upset. “These women person fought truthful difficult for truthful agelong to person this opportunity and I will not let america to consciousness for illustration we’re present conscionable to participate,” she said. “For my women, we get to show up and spoil nan statement and that’s a awesome occupation to have.”