UEFA Women's Euros Semifinal Preview: England vs Italy

England and Italy will face off on Tuesday in Stade de Geneve in a semifinal matchup that promises drama, goals, and an enthusiastic crowd. It's a contest eerily reminiscent of the 2020 UEFA Men's Euro final, a game that ultimately went Italy's way.

England comes into this round as the favoriteTK, TK after winning the last five of their previous encounters against Italy — although Le Azzurre defeated the Lionesses both times the two played in the Euros. Italy will likely try to set the tone today and come onto the pitch in attack mode, given that they've scored the first goal in all four of their tournament matches so far. England will be left to answer, if that's the case on Tuesday, and the Lionesses will need to be steadfast in the midfield to stand a chance of stopping the Italian onslaught.

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Hudson River BlueMegha Gupta

1. Italy making history

Italy are riding an all-time high this tournament as they reach their first women’s major semifinal in 28 years. The last time Le Azzurre found themselves in this position was the 1997 UEFA Women’s Euros, where they advanced past Spain in the semifinals before falling to Germany in the finals.

Italy defeated Norway 2-1 in a thrilling quarterfinals matchup thanks to a brace by Italian forward Christiana Girelli. Italy head coach Andrea Soncin worked his magic this summer, conditioning what was considered to be a subpar team into lovable underdogs from the outset of the tournament.

The Italian side finished second in Group B, defeating Belgium, tying with Portugal, and falling to Spain. Le Azzurre moved onto the quarterfinals for the first time since 2013, when they lost to Germany.

It wasn’t hard to see the Italian spirit at play during the quarterfinal against Norway. Dynamic forward pairings and pure determination gave Italy the edge over an uninspired Norway, and this combination will be needed to go toe-to-toe with the Lionesses. The high of making history last week will most certainly carry over into the semifinal matchup for the Italians, an additional boost of energy that Le Azzurre can only benefit from.

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The Gotham FC goalkeeper made 9 saves, carrying a Germany reduced to 10 players to the penalty shootout — where she made another 2 saves and converted her attempt from the spot.

Hudson River BlueHudson River Blue Staff

2. The Chloe Kelly effect

Was there any doubt England's star wouldn't shine?

England were on the brink of elimination at the 78th minute of their quarterfinal match against Sweden on Thursday. Down two-nil, it didn't look like the Lionesses would be able to mount a comeback until Chloe Kelly stepped onto the pitch. All it took was three minutes for her to help tie the game.

Just 68 seconds after she came on, Kelly launched a cross to English defender Lucy Bronze for England's first goal of the night. Two minutes later, she did it again, this time to 19-year-old English forward Michelle Agyemang to tie the game.

Sarina Wiegman's English squad does not lack for stars, but Kelly is in a league of her own, which is why it was surprising not to see her in Wiegman's starting lineup for the quarterfinal. England was, at times, disorganized when attempting to disrupt the Swedish attack, even more so when pushing back against Sweden's backline. Kelly couldn't have come on at a better time, and considering the game led to a shootout in which Kelly scored a critical penalty, perhaps Wiegman is onto something by bringing in her benched stars later.

Kelly proves to be more effective as a substitute rather than a starter. Her renewed energy gives her an edge over a backline run ragged over 70-some minutes, she is comfortable in her position as an assist rather than the star. It's a position Wiegman will most likely keep her as a substitute against Italy, bringing her on as an impact sub to deliver the final blow.

3. England's secret weapon

Hannah Hampton gave her blood, sweat, and tears in goal for England. Literally.

The English goalkeeper fought a nosebleed as she saved two penalties from Sweden during the penalty shootout that saw England advance 3-2 over their Swedish opponents. It was a stunning display of composure from the 24-year-old, who replaced Mary Earps following her retirement in May.

After last week's quarterfinal showdown, Hampton comes into the semifinal matchup against Italy as England's secret weapon. If her penalty saves weren't enough to banish any doubts over her reliability in goal, her saving two goal attempts during regular play while the Lionesses were down 2-0 is. She earned a Player of the Match award for her heroics, cementing her place in Wiegman's star squad after years of being in and out with the national team.

UEFA Women's Euro 2025 | England 2 (3) - 2 (2) Sweden

The goalkeeper will face a tough opponent in Italian forwards Cristiana Girelli and Sofia Cantore. The duo were unstoppable against Norway, and if they remain in sync on Tuesday, Hampton will have to be prepared for an onslaught of swift crosses and goal attempts from the two. She held her own against one of the top teams in the world Thursday, and time will only tell if she can do the same against the tournament's dark horses tomorrow.

4. Cristiana Girelli + Sofia Cantore = magic

Girelli and Cantore were Italy's saviors in Le Azzurre's 2-1 victory over Norway. Cantore provided assists for both of Girelli's goals as the duo led Italy to take the lead over their Norwegian opposition.

In the first goal sequence, Cantore struck a low cross from the right-hand side past three Norwegian defenders to Girelli for the first goal of the game. The second came to break the tie in the 90th minute, with Cantore finding Girelli from across the pitch for a header to win it all.

The unlikely duo has the advantage of experience heading into the matchup against England, bringing a partnership that saw the two score over a combined 90 goals for Juventus over three seasons. The two just click – Cantore herself agrees. She confessed earlier in the tournament that she knows when she delivers a cross to her captain, Girelli, she stands a good chance of scoring.

UEFA Women's Euro 2025 | Italy 2 - 1 Norway

Cantore's statement was never more evident than during Le Azzurre's quarterfinal victory. The two played as the sole forwards in their victory over Belgium and tie against Portugal in the group stages, and although they didn't link up, they were in tune with each other. More often than not, Cantore would aim for Girelli, and regardless if the cross was blocked or not, Girelli would place herself in gaps wide enough for her to finish.

England will need to clean up their backline, and provide a stronger midfield, if they stand a chance of putting an end to this dynamic duo.

5. Grittiness on both sides

Neither Italy nor England has won cleanly on their road to the semifinals. Expectations for dominance of one team over the other are low given the way both teams have been playing. Both struggled in the group stages, placing second in their respective groups before fighting to win their quarterfinal games.

England will come into the matchup backing Gotham midfielder Jess Carter, who spoke out about racial abuse she had faced online since the beginning of the tournament. The Lionesses, alongside Gotham, the NWSL, and UEFA, offered their support and applauded Carter for her bravery in speaking out. Wiegman confirmed earlier today that Carter is “ready to play” in the semifinal on Tuesday, and her team has come her team comingTK together to support her both on and off the pitch.

England's first game loss to France and subsequent dominance over the Netherlands and Wales may give them a slight edge over Italy, whose only victory in the group stages came against Belgium. It was a 1-0 victory at that, while England won with 4-0 and 6-0 blowouts. The Lionesses' disarray falls more on a struggling midfield rather than their forwards, while Le Azzurre's problems lie within their ability to compete on a big stage as a whole. It falls to one team to make the difference and capitalize on their success in this tournament to emerge as the stronger opponent on Tuesday.