Sarina Wiegman hailed Chloe Kelly for “thriving on” producing in the big moments after her 119th-minute goal sent England into the Euro 2025 final.
The Arsenal winger stepped up to fire the Lionesses through to Sunday’s showpiece in the final minute of extra time, converting the rebound after her initial penalty was saved on another night of high drama.
England were heading for the exit door until Michelle Agyemang’s vital strike in the 96th minute gave them the reprieve of that additional half hour.
It was Agyemang’s third goal in four England caps – and her second late equaliser to keep their knock-out hopes alive in as many matches. Wiegman’s assessment of the 19-year-old’s burgeoning Lionesses career was emphatic. “What a talent she is,” she told ITV Sport.
She was equally glowing of Kelly, who had produced two assists in England’s eventual penalty shoot-out win over Sweden in the quarter-finals, before revitalising them from the right flank again against Italy despite only coming on in the 77th minute.
“I think Chloe thrives on these moments,” Wiegman said. “She’s excited about them, she loves those moments. You can tell.
“We always had the opportunity to bring fresh players on who bring a lot of quality.
“We ended up with more players up front, which was necessary because it was a wall we had to find a hole in. They did really good.
“When you go a goal down and have to come from behind against Italy, you know you have a problem.
“We had some serious challenges. We didn’t play well in the first half, we had a lot of the ball but we didn’t have the energy.
“The second half was better but they defended really well, and there wasn’t much space in the final third.”
Kelly is yet to start a game at the tournament but had no resentment over her lack of minutes after her latest match-winning contribution, and instead focused on the character and resilience of her team-mates in getting themselves out of jail for the second match in a row.
They had trailed Sweden by two goals into the 79th minute in last Thursday’s eventual win and had less than two minutes of injury time remaining to salvage the semi-final with Italy before Agyemang’s equaliser.
Again, substitutes proved pivotal in England’s success as they have done throughout Wiegman’s tenure, with Kelly leading the charge – and the clamour for her to start Sunday’s final with either Germany or Spain likely to only grow louder as a result.
“This team fights back, we have that resilience,” she told ITV Sport. “But hopefully we can make it a bit easier for ourselves in the final.
“It’s an unbelievable feeling. This team deserve nothing but that. Three finals on the bounce but we want more.
“The penalty wasn’t supposed to go like that but I was just ready for the rebound! I was confident but the keeper did her homework.”
Bronze: We don’t do things the easy way
Chloe Kelly scores a rebound off her own penalty to send England into the Euro 2025 final as they look to defend their title.
England’s victory was their fourth to require extra time from seven knock-out games under Wiegman, but the first time they have faced an additional 30 minutes in the same tournament.
It was also the third game of five where they have had to come from behind, with five of their 15 goals in Switzerland so far coming from substitutes.
“We don’t do things the easy way it seems in this tournament but we find a way to win,” defender Lucy Bronze said.
“Whether that’s the 96th minute, and then the [119th] minute – we just dig deep and find a way to get the goals.
“We showed resilience in the last game, Italy played a good game in the first half today but we showed resilience and fight to get back into it as we have so much at this tournament.
“We looked a little bit lethargic once we got going, and then they got the goal. Being 1-0 down in a semi-final isn’t easily to take mentally.”
