England 2 Italy 1 – Lionesses into final again after another Agyemang-Kelly rescue act

New York Times

2 days ago

Defending champions England came back from the brink of Euro 2025 elimination for the second time in two matches to beat Italy and progress to Sunday's final.
The Lionesses entered the semi-final in Geneva as heavy favourites, but the Italians took a shock first-half lead through Barbara Bonansea's back-post finish.
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As the clock ticked into injury time, England looked devoid of inspiration and had reached the point where goalkeeper Hannah Hampton was being sent up for set pieces.
But with all hope seemingly lost, substitute Michelle Agyemang popped up with a composed finish in the sixth of seven added minutes to keep Sarina Wiegman's side in the tournament, just five days after her goal against Sweden helped take the quarter-final to penalties.
Extra time appeared to be drifting towards a penalty shootout when Beth Mead was hauled over in the box by Ema Severini. Up stepped Chloe Kelly… who missed.
But Kelly and Ella Toone reacted quicker than any Italy defenders, racing towards the ball and Kelly just got there first, drilling the rebound in to send England into a third consecutive major tournament final.
Charlotte Harpur and Cerys Jones analyse the main talking points.
The definition of 'proper England' may need revising to include substitutes saving the day. In 2022, it was Kelly and Toone who came off the bench to score in the final. In 2025, Kelly is reprising her substitute role with a more creative flair, and Agyemang has brought the goals.
Agyemang had one senior cap when she arrived in Switzerland, but nobody can accuse her of being at this tournament simply to take in the experience. The 19-year-old has not only pulled her weight, but with two late equalisers has dragged England through the knockouts. Her energy and aerial presence in the box have troubled tired opposition defences, and her physicality in hold-up play has given fatigued team-mates the time to join attacks. Bringing the teenager to Switzerland was a gamble by Wiegman, and it has paid dividends.
As she did against Sweden in the last eight, Kelly made a noticeable impact on the wing, this time on the right. After Lauren James was taken off at half-time with an apparent injury, Mead struggled to trouble Italy's defence on that flank. Kelly's introduction, which saw Mead move into a No 10 role, stretched the Italian defence far more, opening up space for England's central attackers. Her pace carved out opportunities — the best of which was a spellbinding run in extra time that beat four defenders before she sent her shot just wide of the top left corner.
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When Mead was fouled in the dying minutes of extra time, it was Kelly who was given the responsibility of taking the spot-kick. Her strike was saved but she had the presence of mind to react first and send the Italians slumping to the turf.
Wiegman's lack of rotation could have dented her bench's motivation, but it seems to have done quite the opposite. Have any of them made enough of an impact to earn a start in the final?
Cerys Jones
By the skin of their teeth….
England were flat for a long time in this semi-final and several individuals were below par. In the first half their tempo was poor, passes were wayward and touches heavy. When England did get into good positions, they did not take their chances. As the game dragged on, they grew frustrated and impatient, taking long-range shots and snatching at chances. England did not get enough bodies in the box and it took pure desperation to keep them alive.
England have not been at their best and, as at the 2023 World Cup, there is an extent to which they have muddled through. Their opening 2-1 defeat by France exposed their weaknesses but they were soon forgotten after a convincing performance against the Netherlands, albeit the Dutch hardly covered themselves in glory.
England swept aside Wales as expected and that gave them confidence. It seemed finishing second in the group was favourable as the draw opened up for them.
But the Lionesses were extremely fortunate to beat Sweden. Despite their heroics, once again a team had exposed their vulnerabilities. Somehow, through sheer grit they battled their way through again against Italy. Can anyone stop a team this determined not to go home?
Charlotte Harpur
Italy were tipped as dark horses for this tournament in some parts and they came within seconds of exceeding anyone's expectations
Their signs of promise were there from their opening fixture against Belgium, a narrow 1-0 victory that was pivotal to their progress from Group B. In that game, Arianna Caruso and Michela Cambiaghi sparkled in attack, and Andrea Soncin coached his team to a mature win that balanced pragmatic gamesmanship with a willingness to take attacking risks.
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They also took 1-0 leads against Portugal and Spain, but could not hang on to either, pointing to a need to step up their defensive maturity. Against England, they came so close to making that leap.
After taking advantage of lax English defending with some superb passing and movement, Bonansea gave Italy the lead against the run of play. Like against Belgium in their opener, they continued to push for a second rather than sit in a low block and hope for the best.
For an hour, they reduced the holders to frustrated long-range efforts and restricted their opportunities in the penalty area — but a brief lapse in concentration allowed Agyemang the space to fire home her 96th-minute equaliser. It was another defensive slip — Severini's foul on Mead — that led to England's winning penalty.
Italy deserve credit for their performance, but were helped out for much of the game by England's wayward finishing. When the Lionesses sharpened up, they could not stop them piercing their defence.
This one will hurt for a long time – but Italy can take so many positives from this first major tournament under Soncin, and the gap between them and Europe's top teams no longer feels insurmountable.
Cerys Jones
England will learn their opponents for Sunday's final when Germany face Spain in Zurich on Wednesday. They are familiar with both, though with contrasting emotions attached: it was Germany they beat 2-1 at Wembley to become European champions in 2022, and Spain they lost to in the final of the 2023 World Cup.
Either side has an incredibly strong motivation to knock England off the top: for Germany, it would represent revenge for 2022 and could kickstart a return to the very top of the women's game, while for Spain it would consolidate their status as the best side in Europe.
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Head-to-head records since those finals do not give much of a steer. England narrowly lost their only meeting with Germany since 2022, a chaotic 4-3 defeat in October; they have played Spain twice since the 2023 final, winning once and losing once.
Spain's record so far in this tournament is flawless, collecting nine points and scoring 14 goals in the group — matching England's record group tally from 2022 — before seeing off a determined Switzerland side in the quarter-finals. Their fluid, fast-paced, slick passing football has been impressive. Switzerland came closest, shutting them out for 66 minutes, but England are unlikely to emulate their dogged defensive shape. Instead, they would have to exploit Spain's high line and try to clog up their well-oiled midfield. It's a strategy nobody has successfully pulled off so far.
Germany's tournament has been a rollercoaster. They struggled to find their feet in their opening games, a 2-0 win over tournament debutants Poland and a 2-1 comeback victory against Denmark, and then did their best to shoot themselves in said feet in the games that followed. They lost 4-1 to Sweden in their final group match after Carlotta Wamser was sent off for a handball in the first half, and in their quarter-final against France Kathrin Hendrich was shown a red card for pulling Griedge Mbock's hair in the 13th minute.
Despite those mistakes, and despite a tournament-ending knee injury to captain Giulia Gwinn in their first game, they are through to the final four. After Grace Geyoro converted France's penalty from Hendrich's foul, Sjoeke Nusken equalised just over 10 minutes later and Germany's 10 players somehow held on to win on penalties. Their grit matched the recklessness that had made their lives so hard in the first place. England could expect physicality, determination, pace on the wings, and a dogged defence — but will know Germany can be their own worst enemy.
Cerys Jones