After extra time: England women tremble against Italy into the European Championship final

After another football thriller, defending champions England have once again reached the European Championship final. The Lionesses won a thrilling knockout duel 2-1 (1-1, 0-1) after extra time against surprise semi-finalists Italy. On Sunday, the team led by successful coach Sarina Wiegman will face either world champions Spain or eight-time title winners Germany in Basel. The two teams will play for a spot in the final this Wednesday (9 p.m./ARD and DAZN) in Zurich.

England's title dream seemed to have been dashed before substitute Michelle Agyemang (90'+6') managed to level the match at 1-1 deep into extra time after a long deficit. Agyemang initially hit the crossbar with a lob in the 116th minute, before Chloe Kelly (119') converted a penalty on the rebound to make it 2-1.

Barbara Bonansea (33') initially gave Italy the lead in front of 26,539 spectators. In the quarterfinals, England had come from 2-0 down to beat Sweden on penalties.

For Wiegman, this is her fifth consecutive appearance in a European or World Cup final. In 2017, the Dutchwoman led her home country to the European Championship title and to the World Cup final in 2019. Wiegman won the European Championship with England in 2022, and in 2023, she and the Lionesses lost to Spain in the World Cup final.

Both teams started cautiously, well aware of the importance of the match. The more active England had the better chances, but Italy scored. After a one-two on the right, Sofia Cantore crossed, where Bonansea fired a clean shot into the net from five meters. The Le Azzurre fans promptly sang the Italian anthem.

Wiegman reacted at halftime, taking off the somewhat sluggish Chelsea star Lauren James. Beth Mead came on – and with her, a new lease of life. The English, driven by Bayern's Georgia Stanway, pressed hard for an equalizer, but Ella Toone missed two half-chances. They also lacked precision on further opportunities.

For the quickly transitioning Italians, Cantore fired a powerful shot, which goalkeeper Hannah Hampton caught in time. It was a bitter blow for Italy: In the 64th minute, quarterfinal hero Cristiana Girelli was forced off after grabbing the back of her left thigh during her substitution. Girelli had scored two goals to fire Italy into the semifinals in a 2-1 win over Norway.

In the 86th minute, substitute Emma Severini missed the chance to make it 2-0 from three meters, firing the ball directly into Hampton's arms. This came back to haunt her, as Agyemang, with almost the last move, capitalized on a slight hesitation from goalkeeper Laura Giuliani, who had been significantly irritated by Mead, to level the score at 1-1. The stadium, with about three-quarters in English control, literally shook. This was especially true when Kelly stepped up to the penalty spot after a foul on Mead – and beat Giuliani on the follow-up.

RND/dpa