'Is this a movie?' - England overcome odds to reach final

BBC News

2 days ago

There is a saying that "cats have nine lives" - but the Lionesses seem to have an infinite number at Euro 2025.They were written off following a poor opening-game defeat by France, they stepped up in a must-win match against the Netherlands, came from 2-0 down in their quarter-final victory over Sweden and made it through a penalty shootout where they had four spot-kicks saved.And then, seemingly down and out with seconds left in their semi-final with Italy, they turned things around to seal a 2-1 win in extra time to book their place in a third straight major final.Everything was chaotic, everything was dramatic and everything was, typically, late."We're going to make a movie some day! Well, this is a movie, my goodness, it's unbelievable," manager Sarina Wiegman told BBC Radio 5 Live.
Retirements and withdrawals overshadow build-up
England's resilience and their ability to overcome adversity have been recurring themes on their route to the Euro 2025 final.Even before arriving in Switzerland they had to deal with setbacks.When all the talk should have been about the Lionesses' defence of their European title and how they would get out of a difficult group, it was distractions off the pitch that dominated conversations.Before Wiegman's squad announcement on 5 June, she had two senior international retirements and the withdrawal of her World Cup captain to contend with.Goalkeeper Mary Earps announced her shock retirement on 27 May, midfielder Fran Kirby followed suit a week later, and on the eve of Wiegman's squad announcement, Millie Bright made herself unavailable for selection for the Euros, saying she is unable to "give 100% mentally or physically".There was a combined 217 caps between the three and Wiegman had to insist there was "no crisis" heading into the tournament despite the unsettling period.Whether there was enough experience was questioned - Hannah Hampton was the only capped goalkeeper in the squad, while two senior leaders in Earps and Bright were not travelling to Switzerland."It's a challenging period for the group," England record goalscorer Ellen White told BBC Radio 5 Live before the tournament.
A rollercoaster group campaign
Getting out of the group stage was always going to be easier said than done.With heavyweights France and 2017 winners the Netherlands among England's opponents, optimism was low.England would need to get off to a strong start against France - but it did not go to plan.A 2-1 defeat at Stadion Letzigrund followed as England's leaky defence was exposed in brutal fashion.They were outpaced and outplayed as the Lionesses became the first reigning champions to lose their first game at the following tournament of a women's Euros.After the game, Wiegman said her side were "bullied all over the pitch" and "looked like we've never played together".
But when the pressure was on, England delivered.If they lost to the Netherlands, their tournament would have been over, but instead they kept their Euro 2025 hopes alive with an impressive 4-0 win over the Dutch.Lauren James starred and scored twice, with Georgia Stanway and Ella Toone also on the scoresheet as Wiegman's tactical tweaks paid off.Four days later, England got the confidence-booster they needed and secured their quarter-final spot with an emphatic 6-1 victory win over Wales."There have been many days this tournament where we could have been going home," Georgia Stanway said after the match. "To be staying a few more days is something we can be proud of."
Comeback queens against the Swedes
Finishing second in Group D meant England faced Sweden in the quarter-finals, avoiding old rivals Germany and going into the opposite side of the draw to 2023 World Cup winners Spain.Surely that was a good thing?But Sweden were the in-form team, winning all three of their group games and conceding only once along the way - less than any other team.Within 25 minutes, England were 2-0 down and on the ropes. Experienced defender Lucy Bronze and 19-year-old forward Michelle Agyemang both scored in the final 11 minutes to force extra time in Zurich.A breathtaking penalty shootout followed - with Sweden twice failing to convert when it would have sealed victory for them - and England limped over the line to complete the comeback."At least three times I thought we were out," Wiegman said after the game."I don't know why, but this team is just incredible. They stick together. They do whatever is necessary to turn around a result like we did. "It is so impressive and I'm just really proud to be a part of this team."
Squad rallies after racial abuse
Two days before England's Euro 2025 semi-final, defender Jess Carter revealed she had been the target of racist abuse during the tournament, overshadowing the build-up to the match.The Lionesses released a joint statement and said they would stop the anti-racism gesture of taking a knee before matches "to find another way to tackle racism".The head of football's international anti-discrimination body, Fare, questioned England's decision to stop performing what it considers a "powerful anti-racist act", but Wiegman backed her players' choice, saying the "impact was not good enough".Wiegman left Carter out of the starting XI - her first change in four matches - with Esme Morgan slotting in.Carter was named as a substitute and sections of the crowd at Stade de Geneve sang her name and applauded in the 16th minute in support.
A fantasy movie - the Italian job
But England's biggest scare came in Tuesday's semi-final win over Italy.Their opponents were the underdogs - sitting eight places below England in the world rankings, and competing in their first semi-final since 1997.England were seeking a third straight final and Wiegman was hoping to reach a fifth successive major final as manager. However, Italy did not read the script as they took a shock lead in Geneva through Barbara Bonansea in the first half. England looked out of ideas and only Hampton's double save prevented it from becoming 2-0 late on. And then Wiegman's substitutes worked their magic yet again - Agyemang scoring a stoppage-time equaliser, before Kelly hit the winner in extra-time.Wiegman described it as a movie and, if this was one, Kelly said it would be a fantasy - something you could not make up and something that was extraordinary.She was one of the coolest heads in Stade de Geneve even after she sliced a corner straight into the side-netting deep in stoppage time and then saw her penalty saved.But she reacted quicker than anyone else, sprinting to poke the rebound over the line, beating team-mate Ella Toone to the ball, before gesturing to the crowd to "chill out" with her celebration.She had it covered all along.Her matchwinner in the 119th minute was the latest goal scored at a women's Euros.Teenager Agyemang's equaliser at 95:01 minutes, was England's latest goal on record in normal time of a Euros."I thought in the 88th minute 'we do have to score now otherwise we'll have a problem and we'll have to fly home tomorrow'," said Wiegman."Then I saw we had seven minutes [of stoppage time] and we had time to create another chance. The clock kept ticking and we had to keep going. The team never gives up."Having made it this far, England believe they can jump the final hurdle.It will be world champions Spain or Euro 2022 runners-up Germany up next - but this is England."Getting to three major finals in a row and getting to the Euros final again shows what this team is made of. We fight to the end," said defender Bronze."It probably wasn't our best performance again but it just shows the fight that we have and the talent that we have got. It was a rollercoaster of emotions."