Wales ‘over the moon’ to see Ingle get her Euro 2025 moment

For Wales it might well end up being the enduring image of Euro 2025.

Wales women’s greatest ever player, Jess Fishlock, leaving the field to a standing ovation and hugging and kissing her long-time international teammate and fellow cap centurion, Sophie Ingle.

Ingle ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in a pre-season match last year, meaning her appearance in Wales’ 4-1 defeat to France was her first competitive match action in over a year.

“It would have been a tragedy if Sophie had never played in a major tournament,” said former Wales international Kath Morgan.

Unflappable in both playing style and personality, Ingle, 33, admits she had some moments of self-doubt as she faced a race against time to be fit for Euro 2025, Wales’ first major tournament.

After winning the race to be fit for the finals, Ingle admits she was unsure if she would actually get onto the pitch.

“It was obviously a daily process,” she told BBC Sport Wales.

“I did everything I could to be positive and thought that I could make it back. I wasn’t sure if I was going to get minutes, but to get in the squad, that was my first challenge, to get in the 23.

“I made that a few weeks ago, so as soon as that happened, it was like, ‘right, can I get minutes in this tournament?’ Be on the big stage, something I’ve worked my whole career for. Thankfully, the ACL didn’t stop me from doing that.”

Ingle’s introduction got one of the biggest cheers of Euro 2025, with Wales’ fans aware of the importance of the Women’s Super League’s most capped player.

“It felt weird to be honest. I was just excited going on and as soon as Jess was obviously walking over to me, what a person to swap in for after scoring her first goal at the Euros,” Ingle added.

Wales defender Lois Joel, who rates her appearance in Wales’ 4-1 defeat by France as “the highlight of her career”, says the entire squad were ecstatic to see Ingle return.

“You couldn’t write it any better really, Jess exiting and Sophie coming on,” she said.

“Sophie’s such a key player for us, whether she’s on the pitch or off it, just in terms of how she handles herself and the leader that she is. She’s worked so hard to get back to where she is, to get back on the pitch.

“We’re over the moon for her and I was very happy. It was a bit touch and go, but I don’t think you can ever write Sophie off. She works hard, she does what she needs to do and I’m very glad she got that moment.”

Bristol City defender Ella Powell says it would have been tough to compete at Euro 2025 without Ingle.

“When we first heard about Sophie being injured it was kind of a heart in mouth situation,” she said.

“Sophie is another player that has been part of the Welsh set-up her whole career and has worked so hard and tried so many times to get into a major tournament and when we achieved that, it was hard to think about Sophie not being there.