England 2-1 Italy (Agyemang 90+6′, Kelly 119′ ET | Bonansea 33′)
GENEVA — In the hallways of Servette’s Stade de Geneve, there is a Latin phrase dating back to the Reformation painted on the walls. Post tenebras lux. After darkness, light. The Lionesses have veered from the lowest of lows to the highest of highs at this European Championship – at the end of it all, they have reached another final after a night of unbearable chaos against Italy. The good times have never felt so good.
“The English are never done.” So went the phrase after Sweden. And as Chloe Kelly reeled away on the rebound from her saved penalty in the last throes of extra time, it was impossible not to believe it. Michelle Agyemang had saved England with a 96th minute rescue act. There are no asterisks for how they got there.
CHLOE KELLY WINS IT FOR ENGLAND IN THE 119th MINUTE
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) July 22, 2025
THE LIONESSES ARE IN THE EUROS FINAL!
Absolute CHAOS. pic.twitter.com/CW92YhGK4N
For it all depends on interpretation. You can view dicing with danger as a sign of destiny, a wink and a nudge that your name might be on the trophy.
Or you can apply cold, rational logic. That England keep getting away with it. That for two years they have been riddled with inconsistencies. Against Germany or Spain, whether it is luck or tenacity that is keeping them in, opponents of that calibre will demand more.
But the fact Sarina Wiegman’s side are among them again should never be taken for granted. Through the barren wastelands between 2009 and 2022, they could never have imagined how natural and instinctive this level of prolonged success should feel.
There has been talk throughout of a “new England”, a “proper England”. They did not need Calvinist mottos to know that the dark times are what make it all the more special.
There were more of the same warning signs here. Lucy Bronze was not aware of Barbara Bonansea on her shoulder before the veteran Juventus forward smashed a thundering shot past Hannah Hampton. Esme Morgan, brought in for Jess Carter, was caught out.
Player of the match: Chloe Kelly
- An unbelievable salvage mission once again and transformed the game
For a moment, Andrea Soncin, the manager who has wrenched Italian women’s football out of the doldrums, was lifted off the ground. He has taken a federation once bound by lethargy and inertia and injected freedom, courage and hunger.
Italy have had a catchphrase of their own at this tournament, revelling in a sense of destiny that spurred them to a first semi-final in 28 years. It comes, of course, from the team’s favourite song by Natasha Bedingfield. The best is still unwritten.
England may as well apply it to themselves – they had dominated and yet until the equaliser, found themselves up against an impenetrable resolve.
If the Lionesses are to win Sunday’s final, would it be their biggest achievement yet? It would certainly surpass the 2023 World Cup final, which they never really looked like winning.
Better than 2022? Given the standards by which the women’s game has been elevated in the three years since, and the revolution Wiegman has had to undertake with seven tournament debutants out in Switzerland, it might just be.
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They may have to do it without Lauren James, who had ice on her foot after being taken off at half-time. But if England are to continue to salvaging good from bad, they can look to their travelling fans.
The biggest cheer of the night was reserved for when Carter’s name was read out among the substitutes, days after revealing she had been subjected to racist abuse which left the entire squad shell-shocked. After darkness, light.
And after a tournament of unfathomable drama, England are on their way to Basel, 90 minutes from unprecedented glory.
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