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England’s match-winning hero Chloe Kelly speaks to ITV. “Unbelievable … such a great feeling … three finals on the bounce and we want more … it’s an unbelievable feeling … that penalty wasn’t supposed to go like that … but I was ready for the rebound … luckily I got there for the tap-in … [Michelle Agyemang] is at it again … she’s an unbelievable player … she’s got the world at her feet … a bright future … I’m buzzing for her … this team shows resilience … we have hope … belief … the quality … we need to keep at it to make sure we’re right next weekend.”
Italy are as devastated as England are ecstatic. Plenty of tears. Their captain Cristiana Girelli is one of many distraught. Several other players stunned by England’s smash-and-grab raid. Their plan nearly paid off … and would have done had Emma Severini slotted from a couple of yards with regulation time running out. But she didn’t have the ice-cool touch that Michelle Agyemang would display moments later, and here we all are. Italy put up a fine show, and got further than many expected them to. But having got so close to the final, it’ll be almost impossible to take a measured view on their achievements right now.
England cavort in delight! Michelle Agyemang and Chloe Kelly the heroes yet again! They all link arms and advance towards their fans, skipping and leaping with delight. Another victory snatched from the jaws of defeat! This one in much more dramatic fashion than the quarter-final win over Sweden, and that was enough of a rollercoaster. Agyemang swept home a late, late equaliser, then nearly won it towards the end of extra time with an audacious improvised lob. But moments later Kelly missed a penalty, but rammed home the rebound. From the middle of a huddle, a delighted Sarina Wiegman gives one last pep-talk of the evening. England are through to yet another final!
England will take the defence of their trophy all the way! They’re through to the final, where they’ll face either Spain or Germany on Sunday!
ET 30 min +4: Mead is booked for a late clip on Caruso. Giuliani sends the resulting free kick long, but England knock it back upfield, and …
ET 30 min +3: Italy throw everyone forward, but now it’s England’s turn to hold their shape. The Lionesses so close now!
ET 30 min +2: Italy’s bench in floods of tears. Their coach Andrea Soncin, fuming, thinks about storming off down the tunnel but is encouraged to come back.
ET 30 min +1: Greenwood is replaced by Carter in the first of three additional minutes.
ET 30 min: Kelly stands by the corner flag, and strikes a pose. Kelly and Agyemang have done it again!
Kelly takes a hop and a step, aims for the bottom-left corner, and … Giuliani saves! But the ball rebounds to Kelly, who forces the ball into the net from close range! What a turnaround!
Chloe Kelly of England scores her team’s second goal, after her penalty kick was saved by Laura Giuliani of Italy. Photograph: Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images
Kelly celebrates. Photograph: Denis Balibouse/Reuters
Scenes ptII. Photograph: Denis Balibouse/Reuters
ET 28 min: Hemp’s cross comes in from the left. Mead is wrestled to the ground by Severini, shoved from behind. The referee points to the spot! It’s soft, but if you give the referee a decision to make, it’ll sometimes go against you. Severini, who missed that golden chance to put Italy 2-0 up, suffers another nightmare. Kelly to take.
ET 27 min: Agyemang competes with Salvai down the inside-right channel. She enters the box and extends a leg, looping over Giuliani and towards the top-left corner … but off the underside of the bar and away! What an effort!
England’s Michelle Agyemang hits the bar. Photograph: Denis Balibouse/Reuters
ET 26 min: Piemonte sends Oliviero into space down the right. Oliviero crosses low, but there’s nobody in green up with play. England clear, but Clinton ships possession cheaply, and Oliviero has another go at crossing from the right. Hampton claims.
ET 25 min: … Agyemang handles. The pressure off Italy. Giuliani does not rush to restart the game.
ET 24 min: Kelly advances down the right and checks back, whipping a cross into the mixer. Linari clears. But Kelly comes again, down the same flank, and wins a corner this time. From which …
ET 22 min: Bronze crosses from the right. Now it’s Giuliani’s turn to pluck the ball from the sky. Both keepers were looking for team-mates making quick breaks upfield, but everyone’s too tired.
ET 21 min: Caruso floats the free kick into the box. Hampton comes off her line to claim.
ET 20 min: No quarter asked or given at the moment. Every ball fiercely contested. Too fiercely by Bronze in this instance, as she shoves Severini in the back. A free kick, 25 yards out, just right of centre.
ET 18 min: Kelly robs Caruso down the right and crosses. Agyemang lurks but Salvai eyebrows away just in time. England come again, Hemp winning a corner down the left. Kelly floats it long, and it’s heading into the top right. Giuliani claws it out, another fine save at this Championship. Nothing comes of the next corner.
Italy goalkeeper Laura Giuliani earns her corn. Photograph: Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images
ET 16 min: Oliviero and Mead tussle down the England left, and fall over. It’s one of those 50-50 challenges that could go either way, but England get the call. Kelly launches the free kick into the mixer, but Bronze can’t meet it at the far stick, and it’s a goal kick.
Italy get the second period of extra time underway. England have made a change, sending on Clinton for Walsh. “We are watching (on Rai1) in our hotel room in Naples,” reports Sarah Godfrey. “They seem to care so little for women’s football here that we haven’t found a single bar showing the match, even though it’s on terrestrial TV. We’ve drunk the half bottle of wine from the minibar, the hotel bar closes in 20 minutes and the only room service offering is a €50 bottle of Prosecco. But after watching the quarter-final shootout on BBC iPlayer in a bar in Pompeii, we are all in for as far as this goes. Forza Inghilterra!”
The whistle goes, and everyone can take a breather.
ET 14 min: Greggi wriggles clear of Kelly and Mead, but loses control on the edge of the England box. Mead launches long for Agyemang, who can’t quite get the better of Linari. The game’s suddenly stretched, with everyone looking leggy.
ET 12 min: Linari sticks to Agyemang like glue. Agyemang goes over and wants a free kick, but the ref’s never likely to give it for a 50-50 grapple. This is becoming scrappy. Nobody wants to make the big error.
ET 10 min: Agyemang is full of youthful energy. On top of that, she’ll be buzzing after those absurd heroics. She nearly closes Giuliani down, but the keeper lashes clear just in time.
ET 8 min: Kelly hip-shakes in from the right flank, bamboozling three defenders before entering the box and aiming a curler towards the top left. She gets the shot all wrong, and it’s a goal kick, but what a mesmerising run that was. Had she put the finishing touches to it, she’d have scored a goal for the ages.
England’s Chloe Kelly goes past Italy’s Lucia Di Guglielmo … Photograph: Matthew Childs/Reuters
But can’t get her shot on target. Photograph: Bernadett Szabó/Reuters
ET 7 min: Greggi cuts in from the left and aims a curler towards the top right. Fine idea, but there’s not enough power or whip on the shot. Hampton collects with ease.
ET 5 min: Tonne crosses from the left. Giuliani spills the ball at her near post. The ball ricochets off Piga and heads towards the bottom left, with the keeper prone, but Piga does well to react, swivel and hook the ball off the line and away. An own goal there would have been a cruel farce.
ET 4 min: Caruso looks to have been upended out on the Italy right, but they don’t get the chance of pumping a free kick into the box. The referee waves play on. Italy not best pleased.
ET 2 min: Hemp has been busy all evening, and makes her nth run down the left. She finds Beever-Jones with her cross, but Beever-Jones can’t control and eventually concedes a foul.
England get the first half of extra time started. Kelly’s boot accidentally connects with Di Guglielmo’s face, and the game stops as soon as it starts. Thankfully Di Guglielmo is back up and running again soon enough.
England looked absolutely done when Chloe Kelly sent that corner into the side netting. But now look! Laura Giuliani failed to deal with a cross from the right, spilling it at the feet of Michelle Agyemang. The 19-year-old still had work to do, but one touch, one shot, bang! England have saved themselves dramatically once again. They left it really late this time. A penny for Emma Severini’s thoughts, though, after that egregious miss from four yards that would have made it 0-2 and surely put Italy in the final. The small margins, at both ends!
Michelle Agyemang does it again! We’re heading to extra time. Penalties again, maybe.
90 min +8: Hemp crosses from the left. The ball nearly loops to Agyemang, but Severini heads clear just in time. Then Bronze crosses from the right, only for Beever-Jones to head wide left. England unbelievably pressing for the winner!
90 min +7: Wild scenes at the Stade de Genève! Agyemang disappears under a delighted pile! Italy were so close. Emma Severini’s miss so costly now.
With time running out, Agyemang does it again for England! Pinball in the box. Again. Kelly crosses. The keeper spills. The ball drops to Agyemang, who takes a touch before whistling a low drive through Giuliani and in!
Michelle Agyemang’s shot finds its way past a number of Italian players and England are level. Photograph: Salvatore Di Nolfi/EPA
Agyemang wheels away in celebration. Photograph: Jean-Christophe Bott/EPA
Scenes! Photograph: Leiting Gao/BSR Agency/Getty Images
Absolute scenes at Boxpark Croydon, Photograph: Alishia Abodunde/Getty Images
90 min +5: Italy are sitting back in their low block. No way through. But then …
90 min +4: Kelly very nearly breaks clear down the left but Piga refuses to budge. She half clears. Walsh shoots. Deflected. Corner. Kelly slaps the set piece into the side netting. What a waste. Italy are hanging on a bit here, with England in Kitchen Sink mode.
90 min +2: Morgan and Cambiaghi are booked for a set-to in the centre circle. Then Oliviero battles down the right before larruping an overly ambitious effort over the bar from distance.
90 min +1: Piga has come on for Lenzini. Kelly wins a corner off her, but Giuliani claims it comfortably.
90 min: There will be seven additional minutes.
89 min: Before it can be taken, Greggi is sent on for Giugliano. Italy then deal with the set piece without too much fuss.
88 min: Hemp is about to tear into space down the right. Linari comes across and cleans her out, taking a booking for the team. But this is a free kick and a chance to send the ball into the Italy box.
86 min: A speculative ball down the Italian right. Cambiaghi doesn’t give it up, and wins a priceless corner off Greenwood. She had no right to get to that ball. What a chase. Italy don’t rush to take the corner. But when they do, Salvai takes a swipe from six yards. It drops to Severini, who has to score, a couple of yards out, but somehow slams her shot straight at Hampton! What a miss! A huge chance to seal Italy’s progress to the final wasted.
England’s Hannah Hampton saves from Italy’s Emma Severini. Photograph: Bernadett Szabó/Reuters
85 min: England’s last roll of the dice. Russo and Williamson make way for Beever-Jones and Agyemang.
83 min: Oliviero crosses for Piemonte, who can’t quite meet with a header 12 yards out. Greenwood had a hold of her shirt there, and had the Italian decided to go down, the referee might have had a decision to make. It’d have been soft, but Greenwood was taking a bit of a risk there. Anyway, it’s a goal kick.
81 min: Kelly’s corner from the right is hit long. Bronze meets it again, from the other side. The ball’s heading towards the top-right corner, but Di Guglielmo clears off the line. Giuliani eventually claims the ball. England asking some questions finally.
80 min: Kelly dances in from the right and whips in a cross that gets deflected out for a corner. She takes it herself, sending it long from the left. Bronze, coming in from the other flank, powers a downward header goalward but Lenzini blocks and clears.
78 min: Italy launch a four-on-three counter. Caruso crosses from the right. Piemonte flicks a header over the bar. England were very fortunate that Italy took quite a while to work out what they should do.
77 min: Chloe Kelly, who did so much to turn things around against Sweden, replaces Stanway.
Chloe Kelly gees up the England fans after taking to the pitch. Photograph: Nick Potts/PA
76 min: Bronze fizzes in a low cross from the right. Hemp tries to control on the left-hand corner of the six-yard box. Russo can’t prod the loose ball home as it pinballs around. Italy hack clear. Then up the other end, Caruso goes romping off down the right, and attempts to lob over Hampton, who is on walkabout, from 40 yards. Her shot sails harmlessly wide left.
74 min: Giuliani is booked for taking her sweet time over the resulting goal kick. Then her coach Andrea Soncin goes into the book as well, for telling the fourth official how he sees it.
73 min: Italy make a double change, replacing Bonansea and Cantore with Severini and Cambiaghi. When play restarts, Stanway lashes a wild shot over the bar from distance.
72 min: Bronze bustles down the right but a heavy touch puts a stop to her run. “Chloe Kelly time?” wonders Pete Mumola. “She seemed to make quite the impact last time out, and they desperately need at least one goal.”
70 min: Toone sends a weak effort wide left. England still not putting Giuliani to serious work.
69 min: Greenwood probes down the left but Oliviero comes across to usher the ball out for a goal kick. Greenwood, frustrated, knocks her over. Another excuse to go down and eat up a few seconds. “England are piling on the pressure but Italy look more clinical (and technically more proficent) when it counts,” argues Colum Fordham. “Impressed by Girelli, Buoninsea and Cantore. The England coach should be concerned. The finishing is not up to the mark. Hemp should have done far better with her free header.”
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