Chloe: Mich more energy helped Lionesses roar on

ENGLAND forward Chloe Kelly hailed Arsenal teammate Michelle Agyemang after the 19-year-old’s vital equaliser helped book the Lionesses a trip to the Euro 2025 semifinals in a dramatic comeback penalty shootout victory over Sweden.

- By RACHEL STEINBERG

The defending champions were 11 minutes away from an agonising exit in their Zurich quarterfinal, 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.