July 10 – Wales may be staring down the barrel of a group-stage exit at their first ever Women’s EURO, but Rhian Wilkinson let her pride do the talking after their 4-1 defeat to France in St Gallen last night.
“I’ve never been prouder,” said the Wales boss, fighting back emotion after a bruising, but landmark night. “This team, they just keep surprising me.”
The result all but ends Welsh hopes of progressing. To reach the quarter finals, they now need a five-goal win against England on Sunday and for France to beat the Netherlands. In other words – a miracle.
But Wilkinson wasn’t reaching for calculators or praying for permutations. “To be that courageous and to show up against one of the best teams in the world – I truly believe France are easily top three – and to score our first Euro goal, it was amazing,” she said. “I’m very proud today.”
That historic goal came from Jess Fishlock, who at 37 became the oldest goalscorer in UEFA Women’s EURO history. It was her 48th international strike, another milestone in a glittering career.
“She plays in Seattle. That flight is terrible – terrible – and she’s never turned down Wales,” Wilkinson said.
“She’s done it for years. She’s at the twilight of her career and whenever she chooses to call it a day, she has demonstrated what it is to be a proud Welshwoman. There haven’t been so many highlights, but this was one of them.”
Fishlock herself took it all in with quiet dignity.
“I’m really proud of these girls tonight,” she said post-match. “We were in it and doing exactly what we expected to do. I think the biggest learning for us in this entire tournament so far is in the little moments. We just have to be a little bit better. But we’re so close. I’m very grateful to have scored and maybe after the tournament I’ll let that sink in a little bit more.”
The defeat – Wales’ second by a three-goal margin – might suggest a team out of their depth. But Wilkinson insists it’s not the margins that matter, it’s how you play within them.
“Results are secondary to performance. I say that all the time,” she said. “I’d rather lose 4-1 and play and show courage than lose 1-0 and just sit and not actually give our fans something to cheer. And boy did we cheer.”
Despite being debutants, Wales’ fans flooded St Gallen with colour, passion and song. “We showed everyone how proud we are to represent Wales,” Wilkinson said. “Wales is a minnow on the world stage. They’ve earned the right to be here and to represent our amazing country.”
The final group game against England, who themselves need a win to guarantee qualification, may now be lacking that extra bit of fire, but with Wilkinson in the dugout and Fishlock still finding the net, Wales are learning how to lose without being diminished.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1752169730labto1752169730ofdlr1752169730owedi1752169730sni@g1752169730niwe.1752169730yrrah1752169730