Italy were upset with England’s late penalty decision after their Euro 2025 semi-final exit on Tuesday evening.
Sarina Wiegman’s side looked on course to be heading out of the competition in Switzerland as Barbara Bonansea’s close-range strike gave Italy the lead in the first half.
But Michelle Agyemang rode to England’s rescue once again as she forced extra time with a last-gasp equaliser in the fifth minute of injury time.
Another dramatic penalty shootout was on the horizon for England but the Lionesses were awarded a penalty deep into extra time when Emma Severini was adjudged to have pulled Beth Mead to the ground inside Italy’s area.
Chloe Kelly stepped up and saw her effort saved by Italy goalkeeper Laura Giuliani but the 27-year-old was the quickest off the mark to poke in the rebound to send England through to their third successive major tournament final where they will play either Spain or Germany.
Speaking after the game, Italy head coach Andrea Soncin questioned whether England would have been punished for the same incident at that stage of extra time.
‘I saw it very quickly, I spoke to the assistants who were reviewing it and they were holding each other back,’ Soncin said.
‘I’d be tempted to ask… would have been called in the other area at that point in the match? I don’t know.
‘It’s a penalty that could or could not be given because the holding was mutual and light.’
Meanwhile, Italy captain Cristiana Girelli suggested that Croatian official Ivana Martincic did not display ‘top-notch refereeing’ over the penalty incident.
‘We came here to rekindle the fire that has been missing in recent years,’ Girelli said.
‘We want to thank you, but the disappointment is enormous because we were two minutes away from something historic. I’m proud of my teammates because we played an incredible match.
‘Then, I can say, when the level rises this much, you also need top-notch refereeing.
‘When you make important decisions, you have to keep a cool head. When you award a penalty like that, at least go and review it.
‘But it’s not an excuse, we could have doubled our lead in the final minutes and the match would have ended there. I’m proud of what we did; these are tears of sadness and pride.’
Italy centre-back Elena Linari added: ‘I’m particularly disappointed about the rebound that came back to level the score and I take my responsibility.
‘I was hoping for VAR on the penalty because I know Severini and if she tells me it wasn’t a penalty I’ll believe her.’
Italy midfielder Manuela Giugliano also rued England’s late fortune in the semi final.
‘They definitely didn’t deserve to win, we gave it our all and we have nothing to regret,’ Giugliano said.
‘We showed what the real Italy is, a team that wanted to reach the final and achieve a great goal not just for ourselves, but for all Italians. We definitely made people fall in love, and now we have to continue to prove we can stay at this level.’
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