It’s become a familiar pattern for England at this summer’s European Championship - trail for long periods before completing an escape Harry Houdini would envy.Facing Sweden in the quarter-final, the Lionesses were trailing by two in the closing stages, while against Italy in the last four they were 90 seconds from elimination.
Somehow, Sarina Wiegman's side emerged from both of those ties victorious and now stand on the brink of history. And of all the England heroes in Switzerland, it’s Michelle Agyemang, with two dramatic strikes, that can take most credit for their rollercoaster passage to Sunday’s final.
At just 19, Agyemang is the youngest member of Wiegman’s squad, having made just one appearance for the senior side prior to the tournament. She had featured alongside her new team-mates four years previous though, standing on the sidelines as ball girl during a 4-0 win over Northern Ireland at Wembley.
An injury to Arsenal team-mate Alessia Russo earlier this year gave her the chance to step beyond the white lines, having progressed through the youth ranks. She took that opportunity with both hands, scoring a stunning volley just 41 seconds after coming off the bench.
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Agyemang spent the 2024/25 season on loan with Brighton, with her manager Dario Vidosic predicting she would be a huge name by the time the summer was over. He said: "She's got a beautiful strike, she knows how to hit a ball, she's dangerous, she possesses a lot of weapons and she'll be, no doubt, a household name sooner rather than later.”
Even Vidosic couldn’t have predicted just how quickly it would happen, though. Back-to-back goals in the knockout stages, including Tuesday night’s 95th minute equaliser mean she is the new star of the side, with plenty of focus on her.
Chloe Kelly, who netted the historic winner in the Euro 2022 final, also scored the decisive goal vs Italy, but she reserved special praise for the player that changed the game. "She's an unbelievable player. She's got the world at her feet, she's a young player with a bright future and I'm absolutely buzzing for her.”
Lucy Bronze will bring up her 140th cap against Spain or Germany this weekend added: "What a great player, what a bright future she's got.”
Agymang admitted she was still getting to know some of her international colleagues, although clearly had no issue with making her presence felt in training alongside more established names. Bronze revealed: "I think she had a few comments early on, not from players but from the outside where they said she's quite aggressive [in training] but I love it.
"What a great player to train against every single day in training. And you see it when she comes on, like defenders are petrified of her, coming up against her.”
Wiegman has resisted the temptation to start Agyemang, or fellow sub Kelly, although calls for changes continue after their impact from the bench. "She's not forcing me [to start]. She is very grateful that she gets minutes," Wiegman said after her latest batch of heroics.
It means that in all likelihood, just as she did at Wembley in Wiegman's third game in charge, Agyemang will start Sunday watching on from the sidelines. Unlike four years ago however, the teenager will expect to have the decisive impact in making England European champions again.
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