'Save us GOAT' - Esme Morgan credits 'freak' Lucy Bronze for carrying England's UEFA Euro 2025 quarter-final comeback
Updated 06/08/2025 at 17:13 GMT+1
The Lionesses rode their luck multiple times en route to winning Euro 2025 and becoming back-to-back champions, and defender Esme Morgan has credited Lucy Bronze for carrying them through their comeback against Sweden in the quarter-final. Bronze scored her country's first goal and the winning penalty against the Swedes after Sarina Wiegman's side came back from 2-0 down in a dramatic fightback.
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England defender Esme Morgan has piled credit on Lucy Bronze following Euro 2025 after the defender scored the winning penalty in their quarter-final comeback against Sweden on their way to retaining their title.
The Lionesses made dramatic late comebacks against both Sweden and Italy en route to the final, where they survived a penalty shoot-out against Spain to make it back-to-back European Championships.
Against the Swedes, Bronze scored England's first goal and the winning penalty, and Morgan has credited her fellow defender for saving their title defence.
"When you look around the pitch and see players like Lucy, such an incredible leader, incredible competitor, a warrior," Morgan said.
"A freak, her mindset is like nothing I have ever seen before.
"She lives for those moments where the team is counting on her, relying on her to pull out a moment of brilliance and that's what she did to get the goal that started off the comeback."
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Morgan passed a note to Bronze from manager Sarina Wiegman during the win, and joked that it said 'Save us GOAT'.
She said: "I don't actually know for certain what was on the note [that she passed to Bronze during the quarter-final], I didn't look at it myself.
"But I joked that it said 'Save us GOAT' because Lucy's just incredible and that's what she read, because she just became a woman possessed for the rest of the match and carried us back to the comeback and a penalty through to the semis."
England survived by the skin of their teeth throughout the knockout rounds but won through resilience, tenacity, and late goals on multiple occasions.
"I think sometimes you just get weird feelings that you can't really explain but they possess how you feel emotionally in that moment," Morgan added.
"And I just felt throughout that game [the quarter-final] even when we went 2-0 down that it wasn't our time to go home."
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Video credit: SNTV
Morgan opens up about 'chaotic' NWSL
Morgan, who moved to Washington Spirit from Manchester City in 2024, opened up about the challenges she has faced since moving to the NWSL side.
"Forwards in this league are incredible. They are so dangerous," Morgan said. "You have to learn to deal with different types of players. [I'm] really grateful for all the different challenges I've had from the different teams that I've played for that's moulded me to the player that I am now.
"The play-offs was a huge thing for me because playing in Europe, that's not something that lives within the structure of the season.
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Esme Morgan #24 of Washington Spirit celebrates a Washington Spirit goal during a game between the Washington Spirit and Angel City FC.
Image credit: Getty Images
"The atmosphere at those two games was electric and I was like, 'okay, this is what American playoffs are like...'
"All the drama and excitement and I'd say that for me is what sums up the league. It's chaos at times but its so much fun to be a part of and I'm so glad that I came here."
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