England’s Lionesses have booked their place in the 2025 European Championship final following a dramatic 2-1 victory over Italy in the semi-finals.
The match started on a sour note for England, with Italy taking an early lead through Barbara Bonansea, who pounced on a defensive error to fire her team ahead in the first half.
However, teenage substitute Michelle Agyemang turned the game on its head deep into stoppage time, calmly finishing past Italian goalkeeper Laura Giualiani in the 96th minute to level the score and send the match into extra time.
As the tense additional period wore on, England were handed a golden opportunity when Emma Severini was penalised for a foul on Beth Mead inside the box. Chloe Kelly initially saw her penalty saved, but reacted swiftly to slot in the rebound—clinching a last-gasp winner and sending the Lionesses into their third major final in as many years.
The comeback ensures that Sarina Wiegman’s side will have the chance to defend the European title they claimed four years ago. It also means England have now reached six consecutive finals across senior men’s, women’s, and Under-21s competitions.
A visibly relieved Wiegman praised her team’s perseverance, despite admitting England had a sluggish first half. She acknowledged the late impact of her substitutions, particularly Agyemang’s, as being key to the turnaround.
“We faced real adversity today,” Wiegman said post-match. “The first half lacked energy, and we didn’t play our game. But in the second half we improved—and showed once again that we never stop fighting.”
England will now await the winner of the second semi-final clash between Germany and Spain to see who they’ll face in Sunday’s final in Basel.
