England optimistic captain Leah Williamson will recover for Euro 2025 semifinal vs. Italy

ZURICH (AP) — The England team is “very optimistic” that captain Leah Williamson will be ready to face Italy in the semifinals of the Women’s European Championship on Tuesday.

Williamson had to come off during extra time of England’s dramatic quarterfinal victory over Sweden on Thursday and was seen leaving the stadium on crutches, with coach Sarina Wiegman saying it was too early to tell how bad the injury was.

Washington Spirit defender Esme Morgan filled in for Williamson during extra time when England was forced to reshuffle its defense and could make her first start if her captain fails to recover in time.

“We’re very optimistic that Leah will be available,” Morgan said Saturday. “She seemed in very high spirits this morning and I want what’s best for the team and that’s absolutely having our captain on the pitch for us.

“So I’m the same as every single game: be prepared to play if I’m needed, I’ll know the role and just be absolutely ready, train at high level over the next few days, but we’re very optimistic that Leah’ll be fine,” she added.

Morgan was brought on in the 70th minute against Sweden, for her major tournament debut, with England 2-0 down. The Lionesses then came roaring back, with two goals in as many minutes to force extra time.

England then won a chaotic — or “ridiculous” as Morgan termed it — penalty shootout, that saw only five of 14 spotkicks converted.

Defender Lucy Bronze powerfully dispatched what turned out to be the winning penalty, as Sweden teenager Smilla Holmberg missed the last one.

Bronze, who scored the goal that got England back into the game, had played with strapping around her right leg during the match but ripped it off to take her spotkick.

“She is such an incredible leader in this team, we are all inspired by her mentality,” Morgan said. “She’s a freak really in that she just has so much passion, energy, fight and she infects everyone else with it.

“She’s just incredible how she was taping herself up and then whipped it off to take her penalty. She is hilarious but she’s just brilliant and we all love her and are very grateful that we get to play alongside her.”

Morgan admitted, however, that she thought England was going home a long time before the penalty shootout.

“There was a moment at the end of the first half where I thought ‘I’ve not packed anything,’” Morgan said with a laugh. “But I really had a sense throughout the game even when we were down that it wasn’t our time to go.

“And I think sometimes you just have a sense of calm which, you can’t explain why it’s there but just a belief really that we’re not going to let this happen and so I always had faith that we were going to be able to turn it round and thankfully that happened.”

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

England's Lucy Bronze celebrates after scoring a penalty during a shootout of the Women's Euro 2025 quarterfinals soccer match between Sweden and England at Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich, Switzerland, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

England's Lucy Bronze scores a penalty during a shootout of the Women's Euro 2025 quarterfinals soccer match between Sweden and England at Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich, Switzerland, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

England's Esme Morgan celebrates after winning a penalty shootout at the end of the Women's Euro 2025 quarterfinals soccer match between Sweden and England at Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich, Switzerland, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

England's Chloe Kelly holds the hand of teammate Leah Williamson after she got injured during the Women's Euro 2025 quarterfinals soccer match between Sweden and England at Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich, Switzerland, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

England's team captain Leah Williamson cheers on her teammates after Sweden's Stina Blackstenius scored her side's second goal during the Women's Euro 2025 quarterfinals soccer match between Sweden and England at Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich, Switzerland, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

DUARTE, Calif. (AP) — Veteran actor T.K. Carter, who appeared in the horror film “The Thing” and “Punky Brewster” on television, has died at the age of 69.

Carter was declared dead Friday evening after deputies responded to a call regarding an unresponsive male in Duarte, California, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Police did not disclose a cause of death or other details, but said no foul play was suspected.

Carter had been acting for years before a breakthrough role as Nauls the cook in John Carpenter's 1982 horror classi, “The Thing.” He also had a recurring role in the 1980s sitcom “Punky Brewster.”

Other big-screen roles include “Runaway Train” in 1985, “Ski Patrol” in 1990 and “Space Jam” in 1996.

FILE - Actor TK Carter arrives for the premiere of "The LA Riot" at the Tribeca Film Festival, Monday, April 25, 2005, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)