England saviour Michelle Agyemang ‘something special' says Sarina Wiegman
But just as she did in their quarter-final against Sweden, the youngest Lioness in Switzerland came off the bench and levelled late in the second-half. clipping the crossbar in extra-time before fellow replacement Chloe Kelly emphatically buried the rebound from her own saved penalty late in the second period.
England goalkeeper Khiara Keating (left), Michelle Agyemang and Leah Williamson celebrate after the match (Nick Potts/PA)
'She has something special,' Wiegman said of Agyemang, who levelled with less than two minutes remaining in second-half stoppage time.
'She's only 19-years-old, she's very mature, she knows exactly what she has to do.
'When you talk about little things that she picks up straight away, because she's not only in the 18-yard box very dangerous but when we have to go to her as a target player, she keeps the ball really well too.
'Even when you saw her shot hit the crossbar, that was not just a shot, she was aiming for it. If she continues like this she has a very bright future.'
Despite her tremendous trajectory, Wiegman does not feel pressure to give the major tournament debutant, who scored 41 seconds into her England debut in April, more minutes than she has so far.
'She's not forcing me,' insisted Wiegman, who has now guided teams to three consecutive European finals, and will aim to make it a hat-trick of three trophies – one with the Netherlands and two with England – with victory in Sunday's Basel final.
'I think she is very grateful she gets minutes, and she's really ready for it. I think her growth and her development went so quickly, from not starting at Brighton, being on loan, to getting lots more minutes and showing how good she is and coming into our team.
'I think how these things go, (they've gone) pretty smoothly for her, and I think she feels very good about that.
England await their opponents for Sunday's final – either World Cup holders Spain or Germany, who England beat 2-1 in the final of their home Euros to lift their first major trophy in 2022 after Kelly scored in extra time.
Agyemang, who returned to parent club Arsenal at the conclusion of the last campaign, drew high praise from Gunners team-mate and England captain Williamson – the woman she replaced with five minutes remaining in normal time.
'She feels inevitable right now,' said Williamson.
England's Chloe Kelly beats Ella Toone to the ball to score the second goal (Nick Potts/PA)
'I think she's quality. I think what she brings, she's a nightmare to play against. I'm glad she's my teammate at club and country.
'She deserves her flowers. I hope she gets them. I hope she enjoys tonight, and then I hope she's ready to go at the weekend.'
Fellow Gunner Kelly, who signed a permanent agreement with Arsenal earlier this month, said she felt like she was in a 'fantasy' and was feeling 'so proud to be English' after writing more history for her country.
Agyemang, she said, 'made something happen for the team, got us back in the game, and built so much momentum for us.
'Especially that one where she hits the crossbar, I think that gave us a new lease of energy. She was unbelievable tonight. She gave us a lot of confidence, and when your forward is doing that, it's special.'
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BreakingNews.ie
20 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
England lift Euros trophy in front of thousands at Buckingham Palace
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The Guardian
20 minutes ago
- The Guardian
It's staying home: England's road to Euro 2025 glory
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Chloe Kelly said England's saviour Michelle Agyemang has the 'world at her feet' after the 19-year-old striker's late leveller rescued the defending champions in their nerve-jangling semi-final victory against Italy. England's remarkably late comeback, with Agyemang scoring in the sixth minute of second-half stoppage time before Kelly's winner in the penultimate minute of extra time, booked the Lionesses a place in their third consecutive major tournament final. 'Big Mich at it again!' Kelly said to ITV Sport, discussing Agyemang's third goal in four senior international games since her April debut. 'She's unbelievable and she should have scored again: that one that hit the crossbar. She's an unbelievable player and she's got the world at her feet, a young player with a bright future and I'm absolutely buzzing for her.' The match was played two days after Jess Carter revealed she had received what the England team described as poisonous racist abuse on social media. 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Scottish Sun
22 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Rangers transfer latest as Mikey Moore could be first of THREE wingers to join club – and why he was compared to NEYMAR
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The Gers boss will also be keen to move players OUT of his bloated squad - and there could be movement right around the corner. SunSport's sports content editor David Friel and reporter Andy Devlin - on location in Greece - have all the latest. Advertisement MIKEY MOORE Andy Devlin It's pretty close. I think the issue Rangers had in the last 48 hours was just convincing Spurs that Ibrox was the right place for him to go to. Spurs until eight hours ago weren't entirely sure whether they wanted the young lad to go out on loan anywhere, he's so highly rated. He's only 17, there will be a lot of expectation, a lot of pressure. Major Mikey Moore Rangers loan doubts & 'strange situation' at Celtic + transfer news Go Ballistic You just look at the testimonies about him, his ability, Ange Postecolgou rates him so highly. Advertisement There's been a lot of interest from Championship clubs in him as well but it's looking like Rangers are in the box seat to secure his signature which would be on a season long loan with no option to buy because the boy has an obvious future at Tottenham, it's another exciting signing for the Ranges support. The lad himself is wanting the move to Rangers. Championship wont give him European football, Rangers will do that. He's had some appearances last season for Spurs in run to the Europa League Final, 21 in total, so not as if he hasn't played first team football. He's used to that environment. He is one that despite his age, he will be ready to come in and play a part in the Rangers team. David Friel Advertisement It looks as if it'll be Rangers, he's a really interesting player, a special talent. As Andy says, you only have to see how much Ange Postecoglou admired him. After a game in Europe, James Maddison compared him to Neymar in terms of his dribbling skills. 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He has taken a bit of a strange route, he's had a couple of knock-backs in his career, he's gone for moves, he's a product of Nordsjaelland system - Diomande, Nygren, they're really good at developing players. He went to Groningen on loan, he's come back and ended up going to Go Ahead Eagles for just over £1million which for Go Ahead Eagles is a lot of money, at that time I think he was one of their record signings. He's really done well, good experience with the Finnish national team as well. He's a player who I think would be a shrewd one, it'd be a permanent move as well. Advertisement If Rangers can get the balance between getting these loans in they can feel benefit the team but then getting the long-term signings that you want to build your team around for the next few years and that one ticks the box. JESURUN RAK-SAKYI David Friel I think it might be one Rangers need to be a bit patient with. Crystal Palace's stance, by all accounts, is that they are probably somewhere down the line open to a loan move for him but they would rather just sell him now. If the money being talked about - £10million - I can't really see Rangers sanctioning that for Rak-Sakyi. Advertisement I don't think any of the noises coming from Rangers is that they would entertain that or even try to go to that. I wonder if it's a bit of wait and see with Rak-Sakyi. Clearly Russell Martin has been talking about how much he admires him, he clearly wants him in. I don't think this is dependent on the other wings that we've spoken about - Gassama's in the door, they want Antman, they're very close to Mikey Moore - but I think it's just another winger that Russell Martin wants. Clearly he wants options. If you look at the modern game, the front three tends to change after an hour. Advertisement You basically use six forwards in every game and Rangers have got so many games. Rak-Sakyi is one Rangers have clearly targeted but they might need to be a bit patient with how it pans out and what other interest comes in. If Palace do get the permanent bid he'll probably go elsewhere but Rangers are clearly in the conversation and all the noises are that he'd be quite keen to come to Rangers, I think he's excited about what Russell Martin is doing. I'd never, ever rule that out. I think Rangers are right in the mix but it might depend on what other clubs go. Advertisement I think Russell Martin will look at the formation he plays, you would want four strong wingers. That's before we even talk about guys like Oscar Cortes who's still there. I think he's looking at it and being quite ambitious, for me. It might even end up being two loans - for Moore and Rak-Sakyi. 6 Advertisement KIERAN DOWELL David Friel I think there's a wait and see element with Rangers being successful being in that attacking area. I think Russell Martin's been quite clever in the sense that he's looked at the squad, looked at Dowell's experience and clearly knows the player, and he's thinking 'I'm going to need him for these qualifiers at the very least.' I think he's been quite clever to say to Kieran Dowell 'let's just see how things go, do as well as you can, I'm going to give you a pivotal role for these next few weeks, I really need you.' Long term, do I think Kieran Dowell is the answer for Rangers? Advertisement No, I think the last few years have probably just damaged his reputation with the fans because it's never really worked out. He'll always start on that negative point. He would probably say he's not had that many chances, or a prolonged run in the team. He's just got so much to prove and he'd have to play so well to win the fans over that long term I don't think he's going to be the answer. In the short term, Rangers probably need that experience. 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