Love in extra time

10th minute

The intensity of the competition only increased as the days flashed past their eyes; a blur of training sessions, restaurant meals, long coach drives and stadium matches sat muddled in Beth's brain. Memories that they'd made as friends, and romantic evenings with England, scattered through her mind with a clarity that filled her with warmth and happiness.

England seemed relaxed and optimistic, something that reflected onto Beth. They were the happiest they'd been in a long time, and for split moments she was able to help Beth forget about how sick her mum was or how depressed she felt. They did all of Beth's favourite things - stargazing, spa nights in, movies and bubble baths. England made her feel like the most special person on the planet.

England still hadn't found the heart to tell Beth that she'd been removed from the squad, and Emily had given her a fake injury to hide behind until she found a way. Having some time to slow down had been good for her. She'd taken up a new hobby of painting, her current piece of work being a photo that she took of Beth during their first date at The Lensbury. She planned to give it to Beth as a gift for their anniversary.

A triumphant 5-0 victory over Northern Ireland in their last group game saw the Lionesses march into the quarterfinals with a confidence that made the nation believe it was coming home. So much for the men; of course it would be down to the women to show them how a European Championship was won.

Following their success through the group stages, Darren surprised the team with a celebratory BBQ. He wore a personalised apron as he flipped the sausages and burgers and kebabs, leaving the music vibes to Leah, and he decorated the gardens with all kinds of lights and bunting. Jess and England laughed and smiled as they drew cute pictures in the air with fizzling sticks, captured fondly by Beth and her polaroid camera. Others danced with drinks in hand, truly forgetting about the pressures that would be placed on them for the rest of the competition. The evening was even enjoyable for Ella after her sausage slipped out of its bun and onto the floor, covering her foot in ketchup sauce. The rest of the team laughed at her misfortunes for a few minutes, but it was nothing that a spare pair of tights couldn't fix.

Five days of training led them up to their meeting with Spain on the 20th of July. Sweat clung to the walls of the gym each day as the team gave the hotel employees a difficult job of cleaning up their hard work. Georgia had torn her way through her first pair of boots, Mary a pair of gloves, and thankfully the England staff had come prepared to hand out replacements. Leah had been desperately preparing the team mentally, ensuring she used every available second before the game to make them stronger.

It was a rocky start with a familiar line up, and something about the Spanish side just crawled under their skin. The first forty-five minutes was a fight and a half as both sides wrestled for a place in the semi-finals. Play was sloppy from both nations, and Mary was tested a few times at the back.

Spain walked through a tired and switched off English defence in the 53rd minute to open the score sheet. They almost doubled their lead just ten minutes later, but Earps was determined to not let another one in. Her teammates rewarded her remarkable save in the 83rd minute as Ella secured their equaliser and the fight to remain in the competition was well and truly on.

The crowd were biting their nails as only a few minutes of added time ticked away. Keira stole the ball from her opposing midfielders, crossing it through to Georgia who ran it down the middle of the pitch. With no white shirts in sight and a clear gap between two Spanish players, she took a stab at glory, sailing the ball past their keeper and into the back of the net as she sent the Lionesses into the semi-finals.

Viv's wish to go home was granted at the end of her own quarter-final game against France. The Dutch side were lucky to hold onto a 0-0 scoreline at halftime, let alone at full time, and she couldn't help but feel that it was a blessing in disguise. Of course she wanted to progress in the competition, but she was beginning to feel that spending another second in camp with her teammates would push her into doing something that she'd come to regret. The French scored in extra time - a penalty that had nothing to do with Viv. She was grateful that if anyone was going to be blamed, it couldn't possibly be her.