Live England vs Italy: Team news and latest updates from Women's Euro 2025 semi-final

Telegraph

5 days ago

Georgia Stanway has vowed to defy racist trolls and make England fans proud in their European Championship semi-final against Italy tonight.
Several England players have come off social media in the past few days after defender Jess Carter revealed she had been subjected to racist and personal abuse on multiple platforms during this Euros campaign. That has also prompted the England squad to no longer take the knee before games, taking the view that the gesture had lost its meaning.
As the Lionesses look to reach their third successive major tournament final, Stanway refused to accept the abuse of players had come from anyone who could call themselves a supporter.
Asked whether the abuse made it harder for them to pull on the national shirt, Stanway said: 'The people that are being abusive and saying these things and doing things like this, they're not fans. So, it makes absolutely no difference to us putting that shirt on because we know that we're wearing it for the people we stand next to, our families, the actual fans that are here to watch the game, to enjoy the game. I say it with power because I really believe it. I believe that people like that don't deserve to be called fans.
'If anything it has probably brought us together as a team. There's some things that we will never be able to understand, and that's one of those, but we will be united in what we want to achieve.'
It was a view shared by manager Sarina Wiegman, who added: 'It's really sad that we have to be occupied by this.
'It is ridiculous and disgusting what is happening and that goes beyond football. We had to pay attention to that and support Jess. Of course, she's not the only one who gets this abuse or racism. That's why she wanted to address it and she's fully supported by the team.'
England will start as favourites against a fast improving Italy side, but Wiegman was naturally wary of that sort of talk filtering into the dressing room.
'It would be really disrespectful to think we are the favourites,' Wiegman said. 'They made the semi-final just like we did and that's very impressive for any team.
'Complacency is the biggest mistake you could make. You have seen them, how they have played. I don't think there is anything we can think of that we might be the favourite, we have to be at our very best to win the game.'