Le Azzurre had the advantage of history, having never lost to the Lionesses in six previous encounters in the tournament, while Sarina Wiegman's team was confident after dominating their opponents 5-1 in a friendly in February 2024.

Lucy Bronze was appearing in her 35th major tournament for England, tying her with Jill Scott for the most appearances ever for the Lionesses. Having started each of England's last 13 Women's Euro matches, she now held the record for the longest consecutive appearances by a Lioness in the tournament.

With England being strong favorites to win the match, it was expected that they would seize control from the outset, but they clearly underestimated the Italians' determination in defense.

Three times in the first half hour, the Lionesses nearly took the lead, while Italy had yet to even touch the ball in England's penalty area.

Bonansea stunned England after half an hour

That changed in the 32nd minute when Barbara Bonansea blasted the ball into the top of the net following a rapid Italian counter-attack.

It was their first shot on target in the match, making Bonansea the second-oldest player to score in a Women's Euro semi-final (34 years, 39 days) afterElisabetta Vignotto, who also scored for Italy against Germany (35 years, 166 days) in 1989.

Cristiana Girelli's excellent passing skills and ability to create space in a crowded midfield allowed Italy to become more competitive as half-time neared, with teammate Lucia Di Guglielmocompleting as many dribbles (three) as all other players on the field combined by the break, completely reversing the pre-match expectations.

Before Girelli had to leave the field due to injury shortly after the hour mark, she had made 13 passes in the attacking third, the highest in the entire Italian squad.

By that time, England was already regaining control of the match, with shots from Alex Greenwood, Georgia Stanway, Keira Walsh (x2) and Lauren Hemp (x2) targeting Laura Giuliani's goal.

Italy stood firm despite relentless pressure from England

Greenwood and Bronze kept attacking down both flanks, delivering crosses in hopes of equalizing, pushing their opponents back in the process.

With 120 and 108 touches respectively—the highest among all players on the field—it was clear how hard the duo worked to keep England in the match.

Stanway made five tackles, while Esme Morgan registered 10 clearances to keep Italy at bay, as Le Azzurre continued to counter against England's more aggressive attack.

Elena Linari and Cecilia Salvai held the defense together for Le Azzurre; however, England's pressure was unrelenting, with 12 and 14 clearances respectively and 51 crosses indicating their dominance.

Despite clearly trying to waste time instead of seeking a second goal to secure the victory, Andrea Soncin's team still managed 19 successful dribbles and remained a threat in the final stages of a match that England had begun to control in every way.

With six minutes left, Michelle Agyemang came on and immediately aimed to trouble a fatigued Italian defense, which had easily contained the outgoing Alessia Russo throughout the match.

The teenager's movement made it difficult for the Italian back four to settle. England regained possession 11 times in Italy's final third, but as time dwindled, the Lionesses still struggled to create that crucial moment to get back in the game.

Agyemang saves England from certain elimination

With two minutes of injury time remaining from the seven indicated, another hopeful cross was sent into the Italian box, and for once, Giuliani's handling was poor.

Agyemang was the fortunate recipient, and her goal, coming from just her second shot of the match—England's latest (excluding extra time) on record since 2013 at the Women's Euros—was struck with power.

As far as lifelines go, it couldn't have been better timed, and the body language of the Italians changed significantly at that moment.

England were gaining momentum, and among the starting XI, only goalkeeper Hannah Hampton, Leah Williamson and Morgan failed to register a shot during the match.

Having won their last five major tournament matches that went to extra time, luck favored Wiegman's squad. Yet, the Italians still delivered a commendable defensive performance under pressure.

Despite being visibly more fatigued than their opponents, Le Azzurre dug deep and found reserves of energy to keep England at bay. Elisabetta Oliviero, for instance, participated in 22 one-on-one duels and regained possession 10 times—both game highs—by the end of the match.

Chloe Kelly secures victory at the last moment

Clearly, she and her teammates weren't going down without a fight, but they faced the ultimate humiliation as just three minutes remained in extra time, Emma Severini —who had been a capable substitute for goalscorer Bonansea—was deemed to have fouled Beth Mead.

Fellow England substitute Chloe Kelly took the penalty, only to see it saved by Giuliani, but the rebound fell favorably, and the same player—a hero in the 2022 final against Germany—sent the Lionesses through to their second consecutive European Championship final.

That match will either be a rematch against the Germans or a significant challenge against the World Champions and tournament favorites Spain.