First up, Daphne, we have to talk about winning the UEFA Champions League in May. What are your memories of the match itself?
That’s a good question. To be fair, I never remember everything from any game! I wouldn’t say the match went by in a blur, but I was so focused and in the moment. In the first half, it felt like we were really getting somewhere. We felt confident on the ball, had some good chances to score and even put the ball in their net, although it was disallowed. Barcelona obviously had chances too, but overall we managed to contain them.
That was because we didn’t switch off for a second and we defended together as a team. I always think about Foordy tracking all the way back to block a shot and we celebrated those defensive moments like a goal. We were up against world-class players, but everything fell into place for us that day. We all put our bodies on the line to win and sometimes that’s what you need to do. You have to step up when the team calls on you.
When our goal finally came, I was so happy, but I didn’t want to be too happy or lose focus because there were still 15 minutes left. There was the painful wait when VAR had to check the goal before we knew for sure that we were 1-0 up but honestly, from that moment, I felt like we were going to win. Barcelona could keep pressing but I was so confident that our back line would stop them from scoring. Every time we kicked the ball away, we were waiting for that whistle to blow.
I think I sat on the floor for ten seconds in pure disbelief once it was over. I wanted to take it all in. I probably let out a few tears and then I literally ran straight to my team-mates and to Seb, our goalkeeper coach, and the physios. I was so happy that I was able to play that final and be there for my team, and the physios were such a huge part of that. They did everything they could to get me ready for that match after my ankle injury, so it was so important to be able to celebrate together.