Ellen White “The joy of winning”
Wednesday, 06 July, 2011
Ellen White on her goal against Japan and the Quarter Finals.
By Samuel Philip Steinbock
Ellen White came out of yesterday’s game jubilant, after scoring her first ever World Cup goal. It came in the 15th minute and it won’t be a goal that the England striker will be disappointed with to start off her World Cup goal tally. We caught up with Ellen White after the game and asked her what it was like scoring on the biggest of all stages.
She started by saying that “to be called up for a World Cup is the pinnacle of your career, then to play and score is just unbelievable. You can’t really put it into words. It’s amazing to score in a World Cup."
Talking through that goal she explained: “It was a fluke really, I just stuck my leg out, and it hit me and went in! No, seriously, it was a great ball by Karen Carney.
“I knew that the goalie was a little bit smaller than the goalies we’d come into contact with previously, so I tried to lob her and it was great to see it go in."
With the amount effort England put in and the way they played the win was, without a doubt, deserved. Ellen agreed, adding: “For 90 minutes it was an excellent team performance and we really battled for each other. We tried to deny the Japanese space to play and they are a great side but I think we definitely deserved to get the three points and top the group, so it’s really pleasing."
The team stuck to the game-plan and as Ellen emphasised: “We said in the changing rooms that we are not going to leave anything on the pitch and that we have to try and win every single ball. We gave everything. Everyone was pressing the Japanese, protecting each other. No one gave up and it was a really good team performance.
"We’re tired after all that, but elated too. The joy of winning makes us forget about any pains! To beat Japan definitely gives us more confidence going into the Quarter Finals. We are really proud, so hopefully we can be positive and take this into the next game."
It is France next for the Women which will undoubtedly be a tough test but, if the team stays composed and put in another performance such as the one shown against the Japanese, the Hope Powell's side should put on a good show.
The next game is at 5pm in Leverkusen against France and will be live on the BBC via the red button and Eurosport.