England fight back to down Italy in extra time and reach Euro 2025 final

Agency :

Chloe Kelly fired home the rebound from her own penalty to net a 119th-minute winner as reigning champions England pulled off a stunning comeback to beat Italy 2-1 after extra time on Tuesday and reach the Women’s European Championship final.

England fell behind in the first half but hit back to level through Michelle Agyemang six minutes into second-half stoppage time and when Emma Severini pulled down Beth Mead in the box in extra time, Kelly grabbed the chance to decide the game.

Her first effort was saved but she was quick off the mark to rifle in the rebound and send England through to the final where they will face either Spain or Germany. After a come-from-behind penalty shootout win over Sweden in the quarterfinals, England again flirted with disaster, but their late surge floored Italy, whose hopes of reaching a first final since 1997 were crushed.

The win propelled England into a third successive major final after their Euro 2022 success and World Cup loss to Spain the following year.

With the Italians riding a wave of confidence after a last-minute winner against Norway in their quarterfinal, they defended brilliantly and attacked incisively on the break.

Their persistence paid off in the 33rd minute of a gritty semifinal when a ball from the right found its way to Barbara Bonansea, who took a touch before lashing it into the roof of the net.

England then dominated possession and created a slew of chances as the Italians rode their luck, but too often the English attackers unleashed shots from distance that were easily dealt with or flew harmlessly over the bar.

With their hopes of defending their title slowly slipping away, 19-year-old substitute Agyemang snapped up a loose ball in the box and fired home to send the game to extra time.