Tears of joy turned to bitter disappointment, even pain, for Italy as their Euro Women’s semi-final dream was shattered in cruel fashion by England, echoing Sweden’s quarter-final heartbreak. Despite a valiant effort where Italy arguably played like the true lionesses, England emerged 2-1 victors after extra time.
The decisive blow was delivered, incredibly, by 19-year-old substitute Michelle Agyemang for the second consecutive match – and even in the same minute (96th) as her goal against Sweden. Her late equalizer came just as Italy, leading 1-0 from Barbara Bonansea’s 33rd-minute strike and having largely contained England, seemed destined for the final – their first since losing the 1997 final to Germany.
Agyemang pounced after England’s Chloe Kelly delivered a cross from the right; Italian keeper Giuliani parried the initial effort, but the ball fell perfectly for the Ghanaian-origin forward to head home. Forced into extra time, England secured victory from the penalty spot in the 119th minute. Referee Ivana Martincic (Croatia) awarded the penalty for a foul by Severini. Kelly stepped up; Giuliani saved the initial kick, but Kelly converted the rebound for 2-1. A desperate final push by Italy proved futile.
Before the late drama, Italy, wearing light green shirts with red stripes in front of 26,539 largely Italian fans, took a deserved lead into halftime. Bonansea’s goal originated from a right-wing move involving Caruso and Cantore, whose cross found Girelli. Girelli couldn’t direct it goalwards, but the ball fell to Bonansea, who controlled it and fired under the bar. England pressed hard in the second half, led by Hemp, Russo, and James, laying siege at times, but Italy held firm. They even missed a golden chance to seal it late in normal time when Severini fired straight at keeper Hampton from close range.
Head coach Andrea Soncin expressed immense pride mixed with devastation to Rai Sport: “We must be proud of what we have done. It hurts deeply to go out like this after standing up to the reigning champions, but this must give us conviction for the future.” He added, “There are no words to describe the disappointment. For how much we fought, we deserved to go to the final. We deserved a different ending to the match here; I saw many situations worthy of comment [implicitly referencing the refereeing]. But playing like this for 120 minutes against the reigning champions, when everyone wrote us off beforehand, shows the level Italian football is reaching. We’ve taken many steps forward in the last two years and can grow further. It’s a shame; my girls were close to the dream of playing the final, and for what they gave on the pitch, they deserved it.”