‘A lot of emotions': England fans head to Zurich after Euro 2025 semi-final drama

The Guardian

23-07-2025

For those among England's travelling support whose energy had not been entirely sapped by yet another night of knife-edge drama at Euro 2025, the victory against Italy was an excuse to power through and party. Geneva is hardly known for its booming midweek nightlife but more than a dozen fans found a way to celebrate before boarding the first train north at 4.45am on Wednesday.
Among them was a group of five who had taken the plunge and travelled without overnight accommodation, eventually returning to their campsite in Lucerne. The tournament has reached that heady stage where plans are excitedly patched together on the hoof; there is something about the logistical dilemmas behind plotting routes to a major final that clears tired minds and bleary eyes.
Others with more carefully laid itineraries were still trying to make sense of it all. 'A lot of emotions,' said 15-year-old Izzy, who was travelling with her mother, Emma. 'It was so nerve-wracking. Then Michelle Agyemang scored and we just flipped.' The pair were sitting two rows from the pitch at Stade de Genève, level with the halfway line, offering an intense picture of those frantic final moments when England pulled it out of the fire again.
From their home in Hethersett, near Norwich, Izzy and Emma had forged tentative plans to attend the competition's latter stages. But they had to wait until England had beaten Sweden on penalties, prevailing in an extraordinary shootout last Thursday, until they could push the button on their trip.
For Emma, an English teacher who has seen interest at her school surge with the Lionesses' progress, there was particular pride in watching Lauren Hemp star for Sarina Wiegman's side. She hails from the Norfolk town, North Walsham, where the Manchester City forward grew up and cut her footballing teeth. But it was the 19-year-old Agyemang, little known to the wider world before her extraordinary impact from the bench this month, who captured imaginations on Tuesday evening. 'A gamechanger,' said Izzy, who wore a shirt bearing the name of the England midfielder Jess Park.
Next comes the scramble for final tickets, which they were optimistic of securing upon arriving in Zurich for a few days' sightseeing before England's showdown. This tournament's friendly, inclusive feel has left fans impatient to sample the big-game experience on foreign soil again. 'It's been so nice,' Izzy said. 'Not that many of my friends follow the women's game so it's been great to be around everyone here, where we can talk about everything.'
On an afternoon train to Zurich, Adie and Amy relieved Chloe Kelly's penalty-rebound winner through a video taken from their position a matter of yards away behind the goal. The phone camera shook wildly as wild celebrations unfolded. They were among a group of friends who had played football together at the University of Leeds and frequently travel to support England's women at tournaments.
'It's great to see how much bigger the games have become,' Amy said. 'We were in Nice for the World Cup in 2019 and you would barely have known there were matches on. Now you see people out and about everywhere in England shirts.'
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Their party have tickets to the final secured and were pleased, during the journey, to learn two friends will be able to join them. First they were due to attend the second semi-final, between Spain and Germany, whose outcome would have a huge bearing on perceptions of England's chances. A Spain victory would revive memories of the 2023 World Cup final, where La Roja beat them 1-0 in a dominant display.
'We're staying positive, we're manifesting,' Amy said. 'Our motto has been: 'No fear.' And as we've seen, it only takes one second to score.'
England may need a few more seconds than that if their final opponents are on song. But Basel will pulsate to the jubilation of even more tired, ecstatic supporters if they pull through and complete the job on Sunday night.