On the verge of defeat, reigning champions England turned the score around in extra time to beat Italy (2-1) on Tuesday, advancing to the Euro Cup final, where they will face the winner of the match between Spain and Germany on Sunday in Basel.

Chloe Kelly scored the game-winning goal in the last minute of extra time (119), capitalising on goalie Laura Giuliani’s rebound from a penalty.

“It’s terrific; it’s a wonderful sensation. This crew deserved nothing more… We’ve had three finals in a row—Euro 2022 and 2025, with a World Cup defeat to Spain in 2023—and we still want more. “I just do what’s best for the team,” Kelly explained.

Italy had taken the lead through Barbara Bonansea (33) and England equalised in the final minutes of regular time with a goal from Michelle Agyemang (90+6).

With only four international caps and already a hero in the quarter-final against Sweden (2-2, penalties 3-2), the 19-year-old Agyemang ended Italy’s dream with a powerful shot that went in through a forest of legs as the Azzurri were practically celebrating their passage to the final.

England are back in the final despite their ups and downs in the tournament. They have already conceded more goals (6) than in the continental championship they won as hosts in 2022.

However, an almost superhuman competitive gene and the success of her substitutes have propelled her to the championship match.

The Italians, returning to the European semifinals for the first time in 28 years, displayed a compact unit and precision on the counterattack.

Bonansea delivered excellent control and a shot from just inside the six-yard box without dropping the ball.

Clearly of a lesser level, the players coached by Andrea Soncin displayed fight and grit to come within striking distance of the final.

They leave with their heads held high, confirming their rebirth after an absence from the World Cup between 2003 and 2015.

With the experience of their sixth consecutive semi-final in major tournaments, the English quickly took control of the ball, passing along the wings for Lauren James to test Giuliani (11), before Alessia Russo’s shot went wide (19).

The Italians, who lined up in a 5-4-1 configuration, were doomed to fail. But on one of their infrequent forays inside the opposing half, they discovered their prize.

Source: https://es-us.noticias.yahoo.com/deportes/inglaterra-despide-italia-milagro-jugar%C3%A1-221931412.html

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