williamsons sister

22

today is the final. the biggest game of any of our careers. there is a positive buzz around the team. we're nervous but completely confident that we can beat spain. we've had a great run. sarina told me that i would start this game, as will maya. this is exciting and huge for us.

"how you feeling" leah asked, putting her hand at my back as i put on my boots.
"good. nervous but ready to go out there. you? " i said.
"that's good. if you weren't nervous there would probably be something wrong. i'm feeling pretty good. i'm confident in this team and trust sarina completely." she said.
"yeah as long as we stick to the game plan we should be alright." i said as i finished tying my laces.

"alright everyone gather round." leah called and everyone made a circle.
"today is not about winning. it's about making history. this is a historic moment. we are inspiring the next generation of young children to persue their dreams, whether is is to be a footballer or not. this team is fully capable of going out there and winning this whole thing. we can do it. let's go out there and win this trophy. england on three. one two three" leah said.
"england" everyone said loudly. we clapped and lined up to walk out.

we walked out and took our photos. then we huddled together again.
"right girls. this is it. i want 100% from everyone. we know how spain play and we need to be strong. this is for fran. for june mead. for the fans. the fans who have been supporting us the whole way. for the new fans who have just started. for the little girls and boys out there who aspire to be like us. for sarina. for lucy as this may be her last. and for all of us. we deserve this. so let's go out there and bring it home." leah said. this inspired everybody.

we stood in our positions and waited for the whistle. the whistle blew and we took a knee. then the game kicked off.

the first half was tough. spain were strong in possession. we tried to hit them on the counter but we couldn't finish our chances. we weren't even getting many which wasn't helping. towards the end of the first half everyone seemed to be lacking motivation and energy.

the halftime whistle blew and we went to the changing rooms.
"that was a tough first 45. we played well but obviously not well enough. we need to be finishing our chances as we aren't getting many. be tighter on the ball. don't give away possession and silly fouls. we need to work together harder as a team. we need to build some momentum and score that first goal." sarina said as we sipped on our water.

we walked back out and took our positions. the second half started. it was going pretty much the same as the first.

around the 83rd minute leah intercepted the ball and passed to maya. i saw a space between the two centre backs and started to make a run. maya saw and kicked the ball over the top. it landed at my feet and i ran towards the net. i beat the defenders and was now in a 1 on 1 with the keeper. i looked up and hit the ball as hard as i could. it smashed against the inside of the crossbar and into the back of the net. the stadium came alive.

i screamed and ran to where my family were sitting. i did a loveheart and blew a kiss to my babies. all the team piled on top of me.
"what a goal" maya shouted, pulling me into a hug.
"what a pass" i shouted back.

"my little sister scored in a world cup final" leah said, she hugged my side as we walked back to our positions.
"not over yet. we got to defend our goal" i said.

spain kicked off and had a chance immediately. everyone had switched off but luckily mary held it tightly.

we reset and she rolled it out. we pushed forward and got a throw in at the opposite goal.
we kept the ball away from our net for the next 10 minutes. we passed in a triangle and spain couldn't get the ball.

the final whistle blew and i fell to the ground. tears spilled from my eyes as i sobbed. i did it. we did it. we won the world cup.

i felt hands pulling me up. it was leah. she pulled me in a hug and squeezed me tightly.
"you did it our star girl" she whispered in my ear. we both cried together. this is such a special moment.

maya came to me and squeezed me.
"i love you so much. you won the game for us" she said.
"it was a team effort all i did was put the ball in the net." i said humbly.

we shook hands with the spanish players and then lined up for our medals. i won young player of the tournament and mary won golden glove.
"so proud of you kiddo" mary said.
"thanks maz that save near the end kept us in it though" i said.

we got our medals and lined up on the stage. leah picked up the trophy and came to us. we lifted the trophy and gold confetti sprayed.

i ran over to my parents and they hugged me. they told me how proud they were and i took the kids onto the pitch. we went to leah. we walked around together. i put my medal on lila while leah put hers on matty and we all got a picture together. we took our medals back and walked around the pitch to thank the fans.

"lily can we have you for an interview" someone asked. i nodded and followed. i still had lila in my arms. matty stayed with leah.

"hello lily. firstly i would like to congratulate you on winning this tournament. it must feel great to have scored the winner." she spoke.

"thank you. it feels amazing. that goal was a team effort. leah made the interception to win possession and maya had perfect vision and passed the ball right to my feet. i'm so proud of everyone on this team. we're like a family and there is no one else i would rather have won with." i said.

"you and maya. that linkup was perfect. it looked something like the keira and leah linkup from previous years. it must be exciting to be the next generation of footballers to take over. they are some pretty big boots to fill." she said.

"yeah as you said. big boots to fill. both leah and keira are brilliant players. they have inspired me in so many ways. leah is probably the reason i carried on football and keira helped me so much with everything when i was at city. she's like a sister to me." i said.

"thank you lily and congratulations again" the interviewer said. i nodded and walked back to leah.