This England team has shown incredible resilience and character at the Women’s EURO 2025 — but with another final looming, are the slow starts finally going to catch up with them?
Overview
England are into the final of EURO 2025, but they’ve done it the hard way. From a painful opening loss to France, to two consecutive 120-minute games and dramatic comebacks, the Lionesses have shown grit — but they’ve also shown vulnerability.
As they prepare to face either Germany or Spain in the final, there’s a growing sense that another slow start might not end with another rescue act.
What You Need to Know
- England have needed extra time in both their quarter-final (vs Sweden) and semi-final (vs Italy).
- Their only group-stage defeat came against France, who punished them early with two goals.
- Michelle Agyemang has been a standout substitute, changing games off the bench.
- England are one win away from defending their EURO title — but signs of fatigue are creeping in.
Key Talking Points
France Set the Tone
In the group opener, France exposed England’s vulnerability to early pressure. Down 2–0, the Lionesses were chasing the game and couldn’t fully recover despite pulling one back.
Sweden Nearly Ended the Run
A late equaliser and some fortune in the penalty shootout saw England scrape past Sweden — but once again, the comeback was reactive, not proactive.
Italy Pushed England to the Brink
The semi-final showed clear signs of fatigue. It took until the 96th minute to equalise, and a late penalty from Agyemang finally sealed it — but only after 120 punishing minutes.
Spain or Germany Will Not Let Up
Whoever England face in the final, it’s likely to be their toughest test yet. These are teams that don’t let two-goal leads slip, and they’ll come out flying from the first whistle.
Our Take
England’s never-say-die spirit is something to admire — truly. You don’t come from behind twice, go through back-to-back extra-time battles, and reach a major final without serious character and belief.
But we have to be honest here: it’s not sustainable.
These slow starts, flat first halves, and midfield struggles are patterns now, not one-offs. Yes, this team knows how to respond when their backs are against the wall — but the best teams won’t give them a chance to fight back.
Against France, England couldn’t turn the game around in time. Against Sweden and Italy, they left it until the very last minutes. And now they head into a final likely against Spain or Germany — sides who don’t wait around for you to grow into the game.
It’s also clear that players are running out of energy. Two lots of 120 minutes is a big ask, especially when the starters have had to grind through flat spells before subs (like Agyemang) rescue the day. And while the subs have been incredible, especially Michelle Agyemang, it shouldn’t always come down to bench impact. England are better than this — or at least, they should be.
What we haven’t seen in this tournament is England dominate a game from the start. That has to change if they want to lift the trophy again.
If England want to defend their title, they need to control the game from minute one. Because if they go down early again, it might be one mountain too many to climb.
Do you think England can pull off one more dramatic finish, or is it time they finally took control early? Let us know what you think on socials — we want to hear your take.
