The clock ticked down in Geneva. Having toiled against a determined Italy team who had a 1-0 lead, it looked as if England’s Euro 2025 journey was going to come to an end. That was until the ball fell to Michelle Agyemang. Her shot eluded three Italy defenders and found the back of the net. In the 96th minute, a 19-year-old who had never made a senior start for England had sent a semi-final to extra time.
The moment encapsulated England last summer on their march to a second consecutive European Championship trophy. Frustrating, breathtaking, unpredictable. If their 2022 win came across as a procession to a trophy lift under the Wembley Arch ordained by the footballing gods, their 2025 one was them kicking and screaming, and refusing to have their fingers prised off their trophy.
With the victory against Spain in the final, England became the country’s first senior football team – men’s or women’s – to win a tournament overseas. It is an achievement that has not been managed in 75 years of English footballing history. For a country that still not so secretly sees itself as the home of the sport, it was a long awaited moment.
Under manager Sarina Wiegman, England have always focused on the importance of being a whole. In 2022, substitutes like Ella Toone and Alessia Russo were stars. It was no different this summer, as Agyemang and Chloe Kelly hauled England to glory. Niamh Charles has played only 80 minutes of the tournament but stepped up to score a penalty in the final shootout. She had never scored in a shootout before. It also helped the group move past the surprise absence of Mary Earps, who chose to not participate in the tournament if she wouldn’t be a starter.
Contrast them with Lotte Wubben-Moy, who in an interview with The Observer talked about how she was empowered to support the team despite not playing a single minute. “For me, knowing that I was there, helping them, towards a joint goal of winning the Euros, was all the guidance that I needed,” she said.
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When Wubben-Moy speaks about how she was able to put the group ahead of her own needs, it is not just testament to her own strength but to the environment Wiegman has created.
Beyond the success and teamwork, there was also a raft of iconic moments which will live long in the memory. Whether it was Lucy Bronze strapping up her own leg in the quarter-final against Sweden or Hannah Hampton claiming she threw away Spain goalkeeper Cata Coll’s notes on penalty takers on her water bottle ahead of the penalty shoot-out, the personality of this England team shone through.
Sometimes the mark of a brilliant sports team is dominance, a flattening of an opponent to show how good they are. But sometimes it is about leaving your opponent shaking their heads wondering how on earth they have managed not to win. Sweden, Italy and Spain must have all been kicking themselves for not beating England. Sometimes a great team defy explanation.
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Photograph by Jean-Christophe Bott/AP