GENEVA: Chloe Kelly fired home the rebound from her own penalty to net a 119th-minute winner as reigning champions England pulled off a stunning comeback to beat Italy 2-1 after extra time on Tuesday and reach the Women’s European Championship final.
England fell behind in the first half but hit back to level through Michelle Agyemang six minutes into second-half stoppage time and when Emma Severini pulled down Beth Mead in the box in extra time, Kelly grabbed the chance to decide the game.
Her first effort was saved but she was quick off the mark to rifle in the rebound and send England through to the final where they will face either Spain or Germany.
After a come-from-behind penalty shootout win over Sweden in the quarter-finals, England again flirted with disaster, but their late surge floored Italy, whose hopes of reaching a first final since 1997 were crushed.
The win propelled England into a third successive major final after their Euro 2022 success and World Cup loss to Spain the following year.
With the Italians riding a wave of confidence after a last-minute winner against Norway in their quarter-final, they defended brilliantly and attacked incisively on the break.
Their persistence paid off in the 33rd minute of a gritty semifinal when a ball from the right found its way to Barbara Bonansea, who took a touch before lashing it into the roof of the net.
England then dominated possession and created a slew of chances as the Italians rode their luck, but too often the English attackers unleashed shots from distance that were easily dealt with or flew harmlessly over the bar.
With their hopes of defending their title slowly slipping away, 19-year-old substitute Agyemang snapped up a loose ball in the box and fired home to send the game to extra time.
Agyemang almost scored again with an effort deep into the second half of the extra period, out-sprinting and out-muscling the Italian defense only to see her deft lob toward goal bounce back off the crossbar.
Sensing that they could avoid a repeat of their quarter-final penalty shootout against Sweden, England poured forward and reaped their reward when Mead was fouled in the box, but there was one more twist in the tale.
Kelly took her usual prancing run-up, but Italy keeper Laura Giuliani kept her nerve and saved, only for the England winger to score from the follow-up and seal her side’s spot in Sunday’s final in Basel.
“I just tried my best for the team. It wasn’t supposed to go like that, that penalty, but (I was) ready for the rebound and ready for any opportunity given to me wearing an England badge,” a delighted Kelly said.
England defender Lucy Bronze said they had been forced to dig deep to reach the final.
“Yeah, we don’t know if it’s the easy way it seems this tournament, but we find a way to win,” she said.
“I think it was the 96th minute and then the 118th minute ... we just ... found a way to get the goals and get the ball (in) the last minute.”
For Italy, who had defended superbly until England’s equalizer, the loss was a devastating blow.
“Obviously, going out like this hurts a lot. Having stood up to the champions should give us a lot of confidence for the future. There are no words to describe the emotions we have experienced on this journey,” coach Andrea Soncin said.
“This evening, for as hard as the girls fought, we definitely deserved a different ending. Many difficult situations to comment on. It’s sad, but I am and we are very proud.”
