She Shoots, She Scores

After a dramatic semi final, the Lionesses have fought their way through to the final of the Euro’s for the second time, after their win last time out in 2022.

Their opponents Italy came into the match once again as the underdogs, but just as they have done throughout the whole tournament, the Italians came to fight and showed why they deserved to be here. Their defensive play kept the Lionesses fighting for the whole game as they struggled to get goals past them. Things only got worse for them when a mistimed defence attempt lead to  Barbara Bonansea catapulting her country into the lead at 33 minutes in. 

England’s frustrations continued through the second half; despite many attempts on target, Italy’s goalkeeper Laura Giulani read each one perfectly and made save after save, much to England’s dismay. However, in true England fashion we left it to the last minute, in the form of teenage superstar Michelle Agyemang. The 19 year old was subbed on with 5 minutes of regular time left, and it was in the 6th of 7 minutes of stoppage time that she found the back of the net, levelling the score at 1-1 just in time to carry her country through to extra time for the second time this tournament. 

With the fire reignited, Wiegman’s side were ready to fight once again as extra time began. With skill and a splash of luck, Italy conceded a penalty in the 119th minute, and it fell to the other English supersub Chloe Kelly to bare the task of shooting her team into the final. With her amazing track record of penalty taking, fans were shocked to see her attempt saved, but super Kelly secured the rebound and found the back of the net in the nick of time, ending the game 2-1 to England after extra time.

This marks the Lionesses third major tournament final in a row, and Sarina Weigman’s fifth as a manager, making her the first in both the men’s and women’s game to achieve such a feat. They will now face either Germany or Spain in Sunday’s final.