Chloe Kelly, who scored England’s winning goal when they lifted the Euros in 2022, was the Lionesses hero again as she scored the extra-time winner to secure their place in another final
Chloe Kelly admitted England’s comeback win against Italy in their Euros semi-final didn’t come in the manner they’d hoped for, but wasn’t complaining after reaching a third straight major tournament final. And with a showdown against Germany or Spain to come, England hero Kelly has said they are already targeting more.
The Lionesses pulled themselves out of jail for the second time in as many games, having won a sudden-death penalty shoot-out against Sweden in the quarters, and it couldn’t have been much more dramatic.
A penalty proved the key once again, but this time it came just three minutes before the end of extra-time, with Kelly scoring the rebound after her own spot-kick was saved by Laura Giuliani, completing a sensational comeback.
“It’s unbelievable,” Kelly said. “Such a great feeling, this team deserve nothing but that.
“Three finals on the bounce but we want more. It’s an unbelievable feeling. It wasn’t supposed to go like that, the penalty, but I was just ready for the rebound!
READ MORE: England 2-1 Italy REACTION: Lionesses reach Euro 2025 final after dramatic comebackREAD MORE: England book place in Euro 2025 final after incredible fightback against Italy
“I was confident but the keeper did her homework. We keep practicing our penalties and luckily I got there for the tap-in.”
Michelle Agyemang had forced extra-time with a goal in added time at the end of the 90, and won praise from Kelly after also hitting the bar moments before the match-winning penalty.
“Big Mich [Agyemang] at it again! She should’ve scored again with that other one that hit the crossbar,” Kelly added. “She’s an unbelievable player. She’s got the world at her feet, she’s a young player with a bright future and I’m absolutely buzzing for her.
“This team fights back, we have that resilience… But hopefully we can make it a bit easier for ourselves in the final!”
England were moments from elimination, with Barbara Bonansea smashing Italy in front in the first half.
Agyemang’s late, late show brought an extra 30 minutes, though, and Kelly made a decisive impact from the bench – just as she did against Sweden.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.