The defending champions were 11 minutes away from an agonising exit in their Zurich quarter-final before fighting back.
Michelle Agyemang scored her second goal in three England appearances (Nick Potts/PA)open image in gallery
Michelle Agyemang scored her second goal in three England appearances (Nick Potts/PA) (PA Wire)
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England forward Chloe Kelly hailed Arsenal team-mate Michelle Agyemang after the 19-year-old’s vital equaliser helped book the Lionesses a trip to the Euro 2025 semi-finals in a dramatic comeback penalty shootout victory over Sweden.
The defending champions were 11 minutes away from an agonising exit in their Zurich quarter-final, desperate for a breakthrough after twice conceding in a disappointing first half, when seven-time major tournament veteran Lucy Bronze clawed a goal back in the 79th minute.
Less than two minutes later, Agyemang – winning just her third senior cap after coming on in a 70th-minute triple change – drew the sides level to force extra time, before Bronze finally netted the decisive spot-kick with England’s seventh attempt in an error-plagued shootout.
“I literally, just speaking to her throughout the game, I was like ‘come alive now Mich, come alive now’, and for the next five minutes I felt like she had real energy,” said fellow substitute Kelly, who successfully converted her penalty and provided pivotal crosses for both England goals.
“She’s a bright young girl, she brings such strength to our squad – her power, her speed – and holds the ball up really well, so it’s incredible to see her shine on the big stage.”
The topsy-turvy last-eight clash drew a peak TV audience of 7.4 million – or 65 per cent of TV audiences at the time – to BBC One, as well as three million online streams.
Agyemang has now netted in two of her first three England appearances, after memorably scoring 41 seconds into her senior debut in April.
She was one of the brightest sparks late on in the Lionesses’ tournament-opening defeat to France and England’s youngest player seized her chance again on Thursday night, moments after their oldest and most experienced had given them a grain of hope.
Agyemang exudes a beyond-her-years maturity and self-assuredness, telling reporters after the loss to France: “I think most of the pressure comes from myself. I don’t try to listen to the noise.”
She spent the most recent Women’s Super League campaign on loan to Brighton, but has since been recalled by the Champions League winners.
Arsenal forward Beth Mead, who was introduced alongside the teenager in the second half, was full of praise for England’s substitutes, who once again came through when it counted most.
“You need a full squad,” said Mead.
“I felt every single girl that came on the pitch today made an impact for the team, whether it was defensively (or) attacking.
“Gets you through the game. You’ve got a big job coming on at 2-0 down, so to change the game, you’ve just got to be ruthless and go for it and I think a lot of us did that.
“I think I cried like a baby (at the final whistle). It’s just a lot of emotion. You’ve been in these positions before and we’ve fallen short.
“We worked so hard to get back into the game and to not get it over the line, I think was a scary thought, but we’re just very happy to have won.”
England next face Italy in Tuesday’s semi-final in Geneva, where they will hope to have Leah Williamson back in action after she rolled her ankle in extra-time against Sweden.
While the England captain was spotted in a boot and crutches on Thursday, that is understood to have been a precautionary measure.