England beat Italy to reach UEFA Women's Euro 2025 final
Chloe Kelly scored a dramatic late winner in extra-time as reigning champions England came from behind to beat Italy 2-1 and reach the Women's Euro 2025 final.
The Lionesses had been on the brink of elimination on Tuesday as they trailed to Barbara Bonansea's first-half strike for the surprise semifinalists Italy in Geneva.
But after their remarkable comeback from two goals down to beat Sweden on penalties in last week's quarterfinal, they pulled off more heroics here.
Michelle Agyemang came off the bench and forced the extra period by equalising in the 96th minute, while fellow substitute Kelly completed the turnaround by following in to score the winner in the 119th minute after her penalty had been saved.
Sarina Wiegman's team are through to their third consecutive major tournament final. The 2022 European champions head to Basel for Sunday's showpiece.
That will be either a repeat of the 2023 Women's World Cup final, which they lost to Spain, or a repeat of the last Euro final, in which they defeated Germany at Wembley – those sides meet in their semi on Wednesday.
It has been quite a ride for England, with this victory following their comeback to beat Sweden in the last eight, while the nature of the defeat for Italy was cruel.
Many of their players were in tears at full-time, as the Azzurre – who are ranked 13th in the world and were not expected to come this far – fell short of reaching a first final since the 1997 Euros.
Advertisement
England coach Wiegman made one change from the quarterfinal win on penalties against Sweden, as Esme Morgan came into the defence in place of Jess Carter.
The latter had been the target of racial abuse during the tournament, which drew a backlash from Wiegman and the England players in the build-up to this game.
England had the backing of the majority of the 26,539 crowd in Geneva, and they had the momentum in the opening stages of the match.
However, Italy looked the fresher of the two teams. The Azzurre opened the scoring in the 33rd minute as the impressive Sofia Cantore reached the right byline before delivering a cross that reached the back post.
The Juventus player controlled before lashing a shot into the roof of the net from close range.
Alessia Russo and Lauren James came closest for England in the first half, but Italy held their lead into the break. Wiegman sent on Beth Mead at the start of the second half.
Lauren Hemp headed onto the roof of the net, and an Alex Greenwood long-ranger was punched away by goalkeeper Laura Giuliani, who was booked for time-wasting with almost 20 minutes still to play.
With the clock ticking down, the England coach introduced Kelly, followed by Agyemang, two players who had already made a big impact off the bench against Sweden.
Agyemang, the teenage Arsenal forward, replaced captain and centre-back Leah Williamson in a clear sign of desperation in the Lionesses camp.
Italy could have killed the game off, but Hannah Hampton made a crucial double save to deny Michela Cambiaghi and Emma Severini in quick succession at a corner in the 86th minute.
That proved to be crucial, as England equalised in the sixth of the seven allotted added minutes at the end of normal time.
Giuliani, having let nothing get past her all evening, failed to hold an awkward cross into the box from the England right, and the ball came out to who took a touch and blasted in.
Once again, England would have to go through extra time. They now had the momentum, and Giuliani did well to stop a Kelly corner going straight in, with 108 minutes played.
The remarkable Agyemang then saw a lobbed effort beat Giuliani but come back off the crossbar with four minutes of extra time remaining.
Penalties loomed, but instead, it would be just the one spot kick, awarded when Mead was pushed over in the area right in front of the Croatian referee.
Kelly's effort was saved by Giuliani, but she was on hand to convert the rebound and send England into another final.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Jazeera
4 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
German club backs out of signing Israel striker after fan backlash
Bundesliga 2 side Fortuna Dusseldorf has pulled out of signing Israel striker Shon Weissman in response to fan anger about his social media posts on the Gaza war, German tabloid Bild has reported. Fan furore erupted online on Monday when news emerged that Weissman was on the cusp of joining Dusseldorf from Spanish side Granada FC. On Tuesday, the club tweeted: 'We looked into Shon Weissman intensively, but ultimately decided not to sign him'. The club did not reveal the reasons for the decision, but Bild reported the club reacted to fan anger about social media statements from Weissman, who was already in Dusseldorf and had completed a medical exam. The centre forward, who has 33 Israel caps, made several social media posts after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel that set off the Gaza war. Bild reported that Weissman called for Israel to 'wipe Gaza off the map' and to 'drop 200 tons of bombs on it'. The 29-year-old had also liked posts saying 'there are no innocents [in Gaza], they don't need to be warned'. Weissman, who deleted the posts soon after making them, has since said he made a mistake and was acting in the heat of the moment. Dusseldorf fans launched an online petition on Monday saying Weissman's 'disrespectful and discriminatory' comments are in stark contrast to the principles Fortuna 'stand for and try to promote'. Weissman has already been the subject of fan protests in Granada, a side he joined in January 2023. Bild reported that Dusseldorf and Weissman had planned to issue an apology statement for the posts, which was to be made public after the signing was made official. After 22 months of combat in Gaza sparked by the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas that killed 1,219 people and saw hundreds kidnapped, the Israeli army has devastated large parts of the Palestinian territory. More than 60,933 Palestinians have been killed, according to figures from Gaza's Ministry of Health, and humanitarian agencies have warned that the territory's 2.4 million people are slipping into a catastrophic famine. Germany, as it has sought to atone for the Holocaust, has long been a steadfast supporter of Israel, but concern has risen sharply over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The war has previously made an impact in professional football in Germany. In 2023, Bundesliga side Mainz decided to sack player Anwar El Ghazi for statements made on social media about the conflict. El Ghazi, a Dutch international with Moroccan roots, won a wrongful dismissal case in a German court against the club, who have since appealed. Former Bayern Munich defender Noussair Mazraoui, now with Manchester United, apologised publicly after making several social media posts on the conflict, including one which called for 'victory' for 'our oppressed brothers in Palestine'. German football fans are heavily involved in major decisions, from signing players to setting fixtures, due to the so-called 50+1 regulation, which requires club members to retain overall control of professional football sides.
Al Jazeera
4 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Man Utd and Newcastle make Sesko bids as Leipzig admit ‘concrete' interest
Premier League sides Manchester United and Newcastle have both placed competing bids for in-demand RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko, German tabloid Bild reported Tuesday. Bild said the Red Devils made an initial bid of 85 million euros ($98.2) on Tuesday for the 22-year-old centre forward. Newcastle had offered a reported 80 million euros ($92.4) for the striker on Saturday, upping that to 85 million ($98.2) with bonuses on Monday. The Slovenian striker scored 13 goals and laid on five assists in a disappointing league campaign for Leipzig last season. He has scored 16 times in 41 appearances at the international level. Sesko was stood down from Saturday's home friendly against Serie A side Atalanta, won 2-1 by the visitors, due to a potential transfer. Leipzig sporting director Marcel Schafer confirmed this, saying Sesko would not play 'due to the very concrete interests from several clubs'. United are rebuilding after their worst top-flight campaign in 51 years, along with defeat to Tottenham in the Europa League final. United were toothless in attack and have already brought in forwards Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo in the summer window. Sesko's arrival could push under-pressure striker Rasmus Hojlund towards the exit, with reports emerging that United could sell the Denmark forward for 35 million ($40.4) euros, less than half of what they paid to bring him from Atalanta in 2023. Newcastle qualified for the Champions League with a fifth-placed finish last season, but are reportedly in danger of losing striker Alexander Isak to Premier League champions Liverpool.
Al Jazeera
7 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Former Arsenal midfielder Partey granted bail on rape charge
Former Arsenal footballer Thomas Partey has been granted conditional bail after appearing in a London court on rape and sexual assault charges. The 32-year-old Ghana international has been charged with five counts of rape against two women and one count of sexual assault against a third woman. The alleged offences took place between 2021 and 2022, when he was an Arsenal player. Partey was charged on July 4, four days after leaving the Gunners when his contract expired at the end of June. The midfielder stood with his arms behind his back in the dock at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, wearing a black zip-neck jumper. The footballer showed no reaction as the charges were read out and was not asked to enter any pleas. Partey's lawyer, Jenny Wiltshire, previously said Partey 'denies all the charges against him', adding he welcomed 'the opportunity to finally clear his name'. Under his bail conditions, he cannot contact any of the three women and must notify police of any permanent changes of address or international travel. Reports in recent days have linked Partey with a move to La Liga club Villarreal. As bail conditions were discussed in court, Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring said: 'I understand he's no longer employed in this country and playing in Spain now.' Partey is due to appear at London's Old Bailey court on September 2. A spokesperson for Arsenal Supporters Against Sexual Violence said the group was 'profoundly disappointed' in the London club over their handling of the matter. Speaking outside court, Honor Barber told the PA news agency: 'We never wanted to be in a situation where the club that we love and the club that has values that we believe in was playing, week-in, week-out, a player who is now facing court appearances on six counts of sexual violence. 'We protested outside almost every home game last season because we wanted to disrupt the wall of silence that the club has put up around this issue.' Barber said the group wanted the club to publish their sexual violence policies, 'suspend anyone under investigation for sexual offences' and 'properly support the survivors'. British police said they first received reports of an allegation of rape in February 2022. Partey joined Arsenal for 45 million pounds ($60m) from Atletico Madrid in October 2020. He appeared 52 times for the Gunners last season, scoring four goals. Overall, he played 167 games for the club, scoring nine times. Partey has also made 51 appearances for Ghana. An Arsenal spokesman previously said: 'The player's contract ended on June 30. Due to ongoing legal proceedings, the club is unable to comment on the case.'
