Lauren James can fire Lionesses into Euro 2025 final
The defending champions cannot afford to be complacent against the Azzurre and must not display the lack of concentration which left them on the brink of elimination in last Thursday's rollercoaster quarter-final against Sweden.
Trailing 2-0 with just 11 minutes remaining on the clock, substitute Chloe Kelly provided two exceptional crosses into the mix for Lucy Bronze to head Sarina Wiegman's side back into the match and then for Michelle Agyemang, a ball girl when England beat Germany in the 2022 final at Wembley, to calmly tap in the equaliser less than two minutes later, with a bit of help from Beth Mead.
The wild penalty shoot-out which followed extra-time has already entered the annals of the beautiful game's history as one of those occasions which will never be forgotten, and the Lionesses must now ensure they profit from their resolute tenacity by reaching their third straight major final.
The chances are they will meet Spain in the showpiece conclusion to a gripping tournament, giving them the chance for revenge against the side which beat them in the decider at the last World Cup in Sydney, but it would be a big setback if they missed that opportunity by losing their battle in the last four.
Italy have progressed to this stage by finishing second to Spain in the group stage before squeaking past Norway 2-1 in the quarters.
Cristiana Girelli produced a captain's performance by putting them ahead in the 50th minute then heading her side into their first semi-final at the Euros since 1997 moments before the final whistle.
Italy created enough chances to tie the game up in the first 45 minutes and may not be as lax in the danger areas if they find England are not at their sharpest and will relish their tag as underdogs.
They did, however, benefit from Norway captain Ada Hegerberg missing her second penalty of the tournament at a crucial moment in the second half and the Lionesses will be triumphant if they are fully focused for 90 minutes plus injury-time.
Lauren James was unable to land our bets on her to open the scoring or hit the net at any time against Sweden but we will double down on the Chelsea star achieving both goals, pun fully intended, at 11/2 with bet365, Betway, Sporting Index and SpreadEx and at 7/4 with the latter two firms respectively while Girelli is 10/3 with Ladbrokes and Coral to reply for Italy.
A 3-1 win for the Lionesses is 12/1 with William Hill with England to win and both teams to score 11/5 with bet365.
Kalvin Phillips is heading for the Manchester City exit but a return to former club Leeds United is not a certainty despite the Whites being 1/3 favourites to sign him with William Hill. More Trending
The England international is obviously keen to return to Elland Road having liked a social media post from former team-mate Patrick Bamford and another about the Yorkshire club extending their deal with Dan James.
However, manager Daniel Farke may be reluctant to bring in a player with a concerning injury record when all hands will be needed on deck for the entirety of their first campaign back in the Premier League.
Burnley may try to reunite Phillips with his former Etihad Stadium buddy Kyle Walker and are 8/1 with Hills to sign Phillips while Everton could use him to strengthen their engine room at 9/1 with the same firm.
Defending champion and world No.1 Luke Humphries is out of the World Matchplay at Blackpool after suffering a shock 10-8 defeat to Gian van Veen of the Netherlands, in the opening round and the 23-year-old world youth title holder can reach the third round by beating Danny Noppert by more than 2.5 legs at 5/4 with Paddy Power, Betway and Betfair.
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North Wales Chronicle
9 minutes ago
- North Wales Chronicle
You've made nation proud – Prime Minister Keir Starmer congratulates Lionesses
England beat world champions Spain 3-1 on penalties in the Euro 2025 final after a 1-1 draw to defend the title they won three years ago. In a post on X, the Prime Minister said: 'Champions! Congratulations @Lionesses – what a team. What a game. What drama. 'You dug deep when it mattered most and you've made the nation proud. History makers.' Champions! Congratulations @Lionesses — what a team. What a game. What drama. You dug deep when it mattered most and you've made the nation proud. History makers. — Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) July 27, 2025 The Prince of Wales was spotted in the stands applauding and celebrating with those around him – including his daughter Princess Charlotte. William was among those to heap praise on striker Michelle Agyemang, who was named young player of the tournament. As the presentation ceremony took place, William exchanged words with Agyemang, appearing to say, 'Well played, fantastic, well done'.
Metro
9 minutes ago
- Metro
England warrior reveals she played whole of Euro 2025 with brutal injury
England legend Lucy Bronze revealed she played the entirety of Euro 2025 with a fractured tibia after the penalty shootout win over Spain in Sunday's final. The Lionesses bounced back from conceding a first half opener to Spain in Basel, with Alessia Russo scoring an equaliser just before the hour mark. The match was 1-1 at 90 minutes and remained so at the end of extra time, heading to a nerve-shredding penalty shootout. Both teams faltered, but England got over the line with a 3-1 victory, thanks to two saves from goalkeeper Hannah Hampton and a winning spot kick from Chloe Kelly. Bronze had to be taken off during extra time after suffering a knee injury and it must have been serious because she had already shown her immense toughness. The 140-cap full-back revealed that she has had a fractured tibia for the whole tournament, the tibia is sometimes known as the shin bone. 'I've actually played the whole tournament with a fractured tibia, but no one knew,' she told the BBC. 'And now I've just hurt my knee today on the other leg. 'I think that's why I got a lot of praise from the girls after the Sweden game because I've been in a lot of pain, but that's what it takes to play for England so that's what I'll do. 'They know that, I think we inspire each other by playing through things like that and it got to the end, in the end.' Asked how bad the pain has been, she said: 'Very painful.' The Lionesses have defended their European Championship title in extremely dramatic circumstances, having needed penalties to beat Sweden in the quarter-finals and extra time to get past Italy in the semis. Bronze stepped up to score one of the spot-kicks against Sweden and felt the resilience of the team throughout the tournament has been immense. 'We never lost belief in ourselves,' she said. 'I think there was a lot of noise on the outside but we just stuck together and dug deep. 'We showed that in all the knockout games, to go 120 minutes back-to-back-to-back is incredible. 'To win on penalties, two games, this team is so inspiring to be a part of. We just give each other energy I think what we've done today is just unbelievable.' She added: 'Today we've just shown resilience, the fight we've had through all the tournament. We've shown everyone to believe in yourself no matter what other people say about you and to believe in the people that give you that support. 'I think that's what we showed throughout the tournament. We showed that today and that's what's got us the trophy.' England's record goal-scorer, Ellen White, said of her former teammate: 'I mean this in the nicest way but she's not human. 'She's proper England. She's just won a major tournament on a fractured tibia, that's not normal, the pain must have been insane and she smashed that ball in the Sweden game. 'That's true to Lucy Bronze, she will give everything to play for England and win for England.' MORE: Hannah Hampton was told she would never play football due to a serious eye condition MORE: Hannah Hampton reveals message Sarina Wiegman gave England players before shootout drama MORE: Why Beth Mead was allowed to take penalty twice in England's Women's Euro 2025 triumph over Spain
The Independent
9 minutes ago
- The Independent
Lucy Bronze played through pain of fractured tibia to secure Euro 2025 glory
Lucy Bronze revealed she had played the whole of England's victorious Women's European Championship campaign with a fractured tibia. The 33-year-old full-back had played every minute of the tournament until she succumbed to a separate knee injury at half-time of extra time during Sunday's final in Basel. Speaking after their quarter-final penalty shootout triumph over Sweden, when Bronze scored a crucial spot-kick, England boss Sarina Wiegman said of the defender: 'I think the only way to get her off the pitch is in the wheelchair.' Bronze, now a two-time European champion with the Lionesses, opened up about her injuries following their 3-1 penalty shootout win over Spain. 'We never lost belief in ourselves. There was a lot of noise on the outside, but we just stuck together and dug deep,' she told BBC One. 'We showed that in the all the knockout games, to go 120 minutes and go back to back to back, is incredible. To win on penalties, in two games… this team is so inspiring to be part of. 'We give each other energy and what we have achieved today is incredible. 'Today we have just showed resilience, like we have through all the tournament. The want to believe in ourselves and believe in the people who give you support. 'I've actually played the whole tournament with a fractured tibia, but no one knew. And now I've hurt my knee on the other leg. 'I think that is why I got a lot of praise from the girls after the Sweden game because I'm in a lot of pain, but that's what it takes to play for England and that's what I will do. They know that and we inspire each other by playing through things like that, and it got us to the end in the end.' Chloe Kelly insisted she was never in doubt when stepping up to take the match-winning penalty. 'I'm so proud of this team, so grateful to wear this badge and so proud to be English,' Kelly said. 'I was cool, I was composed, I knew I going to hit the back of the net. I don't miss penalties twice. 'It's unbelievable, it's not just this team it's the staff behind us. Twenty-three players and all the staff behind us. Sarina Wiegman has done it again. It's unbelievable. 'It's going to be crazy. I hope the whole of England comes out to support us and show the love to all these girls because they deserve it.' Hannah Hampton admitted she 'lost track' of the scoreline during final's penalty shootout. 'This team is just unbelievable, incredible,' the England goalkeeper said. 'We've shown throughout the tournament we can come back when we go a goal back. We've got that grit, that English blood in us. We never say die, we keep going and we did that today. 'When Chloe stepped up I turned around to the fans, miming a kick and trying to ask if we score do we win, I'd completely lost track. 'They were just cheering at me so I didn't know what the answer was, but then I saw that run up and that was it, we've won. I can't believe it.'
