A place in the Women’s European Championship final will be on the line when England Women and Italy Women face off in Tuesday’s last-four tie in Geneva.
The Lionesses booked their place in the semi-finals with a dramatic penalty-shootout success against Sweden, while Italy netted a late winner to see off Norway in the last eight.
England’s road to the semi-final has not been as smooth as the one that they enjoyed on their way to lifting the Women’s European Championship trophy in 2022.
After battling hard to clinch second spot in Group D, England’s trophy defence looked set to end when they went two goals down in 25 minutes in Thursday’s quarter-final clash against Sweden.
The Lionesses had to wait until the 79th minute for Lucy Bronze to head home from Chloe Kelly‘s cross, before Michelle Agyemang netted the all-important equaliser just two minutes later to send the tie to extra time and win on penalties.
England should be able to take confidence from the fact that they have won four of their previous five games against Italy, with their most recent meeting producing a 5-1 victory in a friendly in February 2024.
England have not always been at their best in this tournament, but they have ultimately found a way to progress, and we think that they will continue to use their previous experience of winning the competition to get the better of a team that have not been at this stage for 28 years.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
