'kelly & Agyemang Are This Year's Russo & Toone'

"Kelly and Agyemang are this year's Russo and Toone."

A matter from a BBC Sport personification aft England's dramatic Euro 2025 semi-final win complete Italy summed it up perfectly.

En way to winning Euro 2022 3 years ago, nan Lionesses relied heavy connected their ace subs - peculiarly Alessia Russo and Ella Toone.

The duo some featured successful each six games astatine that tournament, but neither of them started a match.

Toone came disconnected nan chair to people 2 goals - including 1 successful nan last - while Russo scored 4 - nan astir a substitute has ever registered successful an version of nan Women's European Championship.

Fast guardant to 2025 and location is simply a caller double enactment making a sanction for themselves and propelling Sarina Wiegman's broadside to different awesome tourney final.

Arsenal guardant Chloe Kelly has travel disconnected nan chair successful each of England's matches truthful acold successful Switzerland, while her Gunners teammate Michelle Agyemang has made 3 substitute appearances.

The brace were instrumental successful England's progression to nan semi-final, and again for nan final.

Both came connected successful nan quarter-final erstwhile England were 2-0 down to Sweden. Kelly provided nan assistance for Lucy Bronze's extremity and playing a portion successful mounting up nan equaliser, scored by Agyemang successful nan 81st infinitesimal to unit other time. Kelly was besides 1 of nan 3 England players to people successful nan shootout arsenic England reached nan past four.

Five days later against Italy, England erstwhile again recovered themselves down and Wiegman had to move to her chair - specifically Kelly and Agyemang - to prevention nan day.

Teenager Agyemang kept England successful nan tourney and nan 19-year-old equalised successful nan 96th infinitesimal of normal clip to unit other time.

Then, pinch a infinitesimal near earlier a punishment shootout, Kelly recovered nan bottommost area from nan rebound aft her punishment was saved to nonstop nan Lionesses into successive Euros finals.

Agyemang was a header inclusion successful Wiegman's Euro 2025 squad, having made only 1 elder quality earlier nan tournament.

She made headlines connected her debut successful April, scoring conscionable 41 seconds aft being introduced against Belgium.

Asked if Agyemang could beryllium a "wildcard" disconnected nan chair aft naming her successful nan 23-player squad, Wiegman said: "Yeah I deliberation so, I deliberation so. We will spot what she tin bring.

"I person seen her successful training sessions and what she did successful Belgium - she tin bring thing different. I dream she tin show that."

It's safe to opportunity Agyemang showed Wiegman what she tin do.

Her extremity against Italy was her 2nd successful Switzerland, making her nan first teen to nett doubly astatine a Women's Euros since Cecilie Pedersen for Norway successful 2009.

The 19-year-old says she doesn't cognize really she keeps redeeming England erstwhile they request it most.

"I don't know," she said aft nan crippled successful Geneva. "It's by nan grace of God. We are doing wonders arsenic a squad and I americium truthful proud that I tin opportunity I'm a portion of this team."

England skipper Leah Williamson, who was replaced by her Arsenal team-mate Agyemang successful nan 85th infinitesimal said: "She feels inevitable correct now.

"She is quality. What she brings, she is simply a nightmare to play against. I'm gladsome she is my teammate for nine and country. She deserves her flowers, I dream she gets them, I dream she enjoys coming and I dream she is fresh to spell astatine nan weekend."

BBC Sport pundit Nedum Onuoha, who backed Agyemang to person a breakthrough tournament, added: "She's 19 years aged successful a European Championship semi-final and she played for illustration she had been location tonnes of times for illustration immoderate of her team-mates.

"She is an absolute star."

Agyemang almost scored a 2nd against Italy erstwhile she lobbed nan goalkeeper and deed nan crossbar minutes earlier Kelly's penalty.

"She astir sewage nan winner," England's grounds goalscorer Ellen White said.

"I deliberation she is conscionable a special, typical player, a typical quality being. She plays beyond her years and has been perfectly phenomenal, what she's done pinch constricted minutes, she's turned England's history connected its caput and helped them scope different final.

Kelly's victor against Italy successful nan 119th infinitesimal was nan latest extremity ever scored astatine a Women's Euros.

The guardant - who signed permanently for Arsenal earlier Euro 2025 - said she considered taking a break from football earlier this twelvemonth aft a difficult spell pinch Manchester City.

She joined Arsenal connected indebtedness and earned a spot backmost successful Wiegman's England squad. Now she and nan Lionesses are reaping nan rewards.

"The moments successful January erstwhile I felt for illustration giving up shot makes you truthful grateful for these moments present coming and makes you bask each infinitesimal of that," Kelly said aft nan game.

Kelly, who famously scored nan winning extremity for England arsenic they hit Germany astatine Wembley to hit Euro 2022, has "made a difference" successful each crippled successful Switzerland according to Bronze.

"She did it earlier nan past Euros arsenic well," Bronze said. "We hide she came backmost from an ACL wounded but past she came disconnected nan chair and scored nan winning extremity successful nan Euros final.

"She has been doing it week in, week retired and she's conscionable sewage this cognition and this assurance that I don't deliberation you tin buy.

"She has not started immoderate of nan games but successful each azygous crippled she's travel connected and made a difference. She's 1 of those players that you want connected your squad and not connected nan different team, that's for sure."

Kelly's punishment was initially saved by Laura Giuliani, but she drilled location nan rebound to debar different shootout.

"Thankfully Chloe Kelly had nan composure to sprint and tuck it nether nan goalkeeper," England grounds goalscorer Ellen White told BBC Radio 5 Live. "To person nan composure and still travel up.

"She's travel to England's rescue, she's sewage that mentality to travel connected and make a immense difference."

In her post-match news conference, Wiegman was asked if Agyemang is forcing herself into her starting line-up for nan final.

"She is not forcing me," Wiegman said. "She is very grateful to get minutes and she is very fresh for it. Her maturation and improvement went truthful quickly. From not starting astatine Brighton to getting tons much minutes and showing really bully she is, to coming into our team. It went soft for her and she feels very bully astir that."

Here is what BBC Sport readers deliberation connected whether Kelly and Agyemang merit to commencement successful Basel connected 27 July.

Stephen: Please let's get nan starting 11 correct connected Sunday - Kelly and Agyemang must start. And James conscionable fades distant successful nan unit games.

Rich: Chloe Kelly is simply a large crippled player. Something ever happens pinch her connected nan pitch. Should commencement up of James. Substitutions request to hap earlier. Managers deliberation they are excessively clever by half sometimes.

Anon: Well our luck is still successful but, I can't understand SW's substitutions. Kelly should person travel connected astatine half-time. And why were Agyemang and Beever-Jones put connected truthful late?

Jas: They request commencement Kelly and Agyemang. This is nan 2nd clip they made a difference.

Will: Agyemang should commencement successful nan final, she is exceptional.