Women’s European Championship: England after victory against Italy in the final

After another football thriller, defending champion England has again reached the European Championship final. The Lionesses won 2: 1 (1: 1, 0: 1) after extra time against surprise semi-finalist Italy. On Sunday, the team of successful trainer Sarina Wiegman in Basel will meet world champion Spain or the eight times the title winner of Germany. The two teams will play this Wednesday (9:00 p.m./ARD and DAZN) in Zurich around the final ticket.

England’s title dream seemed to have broken before substitute Michelle Agyemang (90.+6) was deep in added time after a long deficit after the 1-1 extension. In this, Agyemang hit the latte with a lifter in the 116th minute before Chloe Kelly (119th) converted a penalty to 2-1.

Barbara Bonansea (33rd) initially brought Italy in front of 26,539 spectators. In the quarter-finals, England prevailed after 0-2 deficit in a penalty shootout against Sweden.

For Wiegman, it is the fifth final participation in one European Championship or World Cup. In 2017, the Dutch woman led her home country to the European Championship title, 2019 to the World Cup final. In 2022 Wiegman won the European Championship with England, in 2023 she was defeated by Lionesses in the World Cup final.

Both teams started behavior, knowing about the importance of the game. The somewhat more active English women had the better chances, but Italy scored the goal. After a double pass on the right side, Sofia Cantore flanked inwards, where Bonansea banged the ball from five meters dryly in the Tordach. Le Azzurre’s fans promptly sang the Italian hymn.

Wiegman reacted at the break and took the somewhat floppy Chelsea-Star Lauren James off the field. Beth Mead came – and with her new momentum. The English, driven by Bavaria’s Georgia Stanway, vehemently pressed the equalization, Ella Toone missed two half chances. The precision was also missing in the event of further possibilities.

Cantore gave up a massive shot for the rapidly switching Italians, goalkeeper Hannah Hampton pulled his fists up in time. Bitter for Italy: In the 64th minute, quarter-final heroine Cristiana Girelli had to get off the field, who came to the rear left thigh when she was replaced. Girelli had shot Italy into the semi-finals with two goals for 2-1 win against Norway.

In the 86th minute, substitute Emma Severini missed the 2-0 from three meters because she shot the ball directly into her arms. That revenge, because with the last action, Agyemang used a little uncertainty by goalkeeper Laura Giuliani, who was decisively irritated by Mead, to 1-1. The stadium, about three quarters in English, literally trembled. Especially when Kelly stepped up to the penalty point after a foul on Mead – and Giuliani overcame in replica.