The Lionesses will defend their title. However, throughout the match, it looked more like Italy's dream had come true. They were leading 1-0 in the 90th minute, but in extra time, they equalized and finally, thanks to Chloe Kelly, turned the game around in the last minute of extra time, so a penalty shootout was not necessary.
There is only one place left in the final, but there are two teams vying for it. The Spanish have not lost a single point so far. The Germans had a more difficult path. Although they won 2-0 in their first match against Poland, they struggled to break through the Polish defense for a long time, and in the 40th minute, their captain Giulia Gwinn was injured, ending her tournament.
They had to turn the match against Denmark around, and suffered a 4-1 defeat against Sweden after a red card. Early in the match against France, who had been dominant up to that point, they received a red card in the 13th minute, and it looked like another defeat was on the cards. However, the Germans managed to equalize and defeated France in a penalty shootout, mainly thanks to the fabulous saves of goalkeeper Berger.
Both teams will enter the match without some of their most influential players, who were sent off in previous matches. Germany will be without Sjoeke Nüsken. This is certainly a big loss, as she was the one who equalized against France with a header.
The Spanish defense will be missing Laia Aleixandri, who, despite protests, received a yellow card in the match against Switzerland and will only be watching the semifinals from the bench.
So who should we focus on today?
She is not only the heroine of the match against France. A long-time pillar of Chelsea, she now plays for Gotham in the American NWSL. In 2022, she beat cancer for the second time. Two years later, she helped Germany win Olympic bronze and was named German Footballer of the Year. And now she has the chance to add to her story by stopping the tournament's biggest favorites.
How one of the best football players of today would influence the tournament was uncertain for a long time. Just a few days before the start, she was discharged from the hospital, did not participate in the preparatory match, and started the first matches from the bench. However, she started in the starting lineup against Italy and delivered a performance worthy of a two-time Ballon d'Or winner.
