England 2-1 Italy: Dramatic Finale Secures Lionesses' Place in EURO 2025 Final

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Italy was close to eliminating the defending champions from the tournament, but dramatic goals from Michelle Agyemang and Chloe Kelly secured England's place in the women's EURO 2025 final.

Dramatic Turnaround in Extra Time

English substitutes Chloe Kelly and Michelle Agyemang were once again difference-makers for the Lionesses, dramatically turning the match around against Italy to advance to their third consecutive major tournament final.

The defending champions were on the brink of elimination from the tournament before Agyemang's equalizing strike deep in stoppage time, before Kelly converted a rebound after her penalty was saved with just minutes left in extra time.

Italy Takes the Lead Through Bonansea

Italy took the lead in the 33rd minute when Barbara Bonansea finished well in the penalty area past Hannah Hampton. The ball bounced favorably to Bonansea after several deflections before she fired a fierce shot under the crossbar, becoming the second-oldest goalscorer in a women's EURO semi-final after Elisabetta Vignotto, also for Italy in 1989 (35 years and 166 days against Germany).

England tried to respond, but Italy should have sealed the match during the 90 minutes before Agyemang's dramatic equalizer. Emma Severini was the biggest culprit when she saw her close-range shot saved, despite being well-positioned to score from the rebound after Hampton's initial save against Michele Cambiaghi.

Agyemang Decides Again as Substitute

Agyemang scored another goal after coming on as a substitute for England in this tournament - her second such goal after her previous one against Sweden in the quarter-final.

She found herself in the right place at the right time, but still had work to do before powerfully firing into the net with just over a minute of stoppage time remaining. Agyemang's goal meant she became only the fifth teenager to score two or more goals in a single UEFA women's EURO edition, and the first since Cecilie Pedersen for Norway in 2009.

This was the third goal for 19-year-old Agyemang for England, scored from her first three shots on target for the Lionesses since making her scoring debut in April against Belgium.

Record Extra-Time Victory

England entered extra time with a record of winning all five previous matches at major tournaments after 90 minutes across World Cups and European Championships. In this match, they recorded their sixth win from six.

With the match just minutes away from a penalty shootout, England was awarded a penalty to complete the turnaround after Beth Mead was pushed in the penalty area. Chloe Kelly, another English substitute, saw her penalty saved by Laura Giuliani before following up and tucking the ball into the net, scoring the latest goal in UEFA women's EURO history.

Path to the Final

England wasn't brilliant and left it to the last minute, but set up a meeting with either Spain or Germany in Sunday's final in Basel.

Key Match Statistics

Historic Milestones:

  • England became the third European team to reach three consecutive major tournament finals (World Cup/EURO) after Germany and Norway
  • England is the first team to advance from both quarter-final and semi-final in a single UEFA women's EURO edition after conceding the first goal in both matches

Record Moments:

  • Kelly's winning goal in the 119th minute was the latest goal ever scored in a UEFA women's EURO
  • Agyemang's equalizer at 95:01 was England's latest goal on record (since 2013) in a UEFA women's EURO (excluding extra time)

Age Records:

  • Barbara Bonansea (34 years and 39 days) became the second-oldest player to score in a UEFA women's EURO semi-final
  • 19-year-old Michelle Agyemang is the first teenager to score twice in a single UEFA women's championship edition since 2009

Coaching Milestones:

  • This victory was the 100th for Sarina Wiegman as a permanent international coach (21 draws, 20 defeats), including 48 with England
  • Lucy Bronze played her 35th match at a major tournament, a record for an English player alongside Jill Scott

Thanks to Stats Perform for providing match data and statistics.

More information:24live.com

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