England boss Sarina Wiegman could be in line to receive a major honour after she guided the Lionesses to a third successive major final following their dramatic 2-1 victory over Italy on Tuesday evening.
The Dutchwoman's side have not made it easy for themselves this summer. However, they're now just 90 minutes away from retaining the European Championships after some late heroics from Chloe Kelly.
"We're going to make a movie someday! Well, this is a movie, my goodness, it's unbelievable," Wiegman told BBC Radio 5 Live after yet more late drama in this year’s Euros tournament.
From being written off entirely in the first game after they were dismantled by an impressive France side, to multiple rounds of extra-time and dramatic penalty shoot-outs, the tournament has had everything so far.
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|Sarina Wiegman could be in line for a major honour after a third successive tournament final with Engand
Following their group stage progression, the Lionesses found themselves 2-0 down against Sweden in the quarter-final, but managed to claw the game back from the jaws of defeat to take the game to a dramatic penalty shoot-out.
Just as supporters had recovered from the quarter-final, the Lionesses found themselves scrambling for a late equaliser once more, and it came through youngster Michelle Agyemang in the most dramatic of fashion.
Kelly, who played a starring role in England’s Sweden comeback just days earlier, missed a penalty in the dying seconds of extra-time, only to tap home the rebound and celebrate in typical fashion. The Lionesses had, somehow, done it again.
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|Chloe Kelly produced the crucial moment yet again for England
"I think Chloe thrives on these moments. She's excited about them, she loves those moments. You can tell,” Wiegman said after the match.
Following their Euro 2022 triumph and reaching the final of the World Cup in 2023, their victory on Tuesday evening marks England's third successive major tournament final under Wiegman and gives them a real chance to become the first senior side to defend a major title in the country's history.
Furthermore, Wiegman can become the first England manager to win two major titles. She has made history by becoming the first manager in history to reach five finals on the trot, too.
It had been said that Wiegman was in line for an honorary damehood two years ago if the Lionesses had beaten Spain in the World Cup final, though they lost 1-0.
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Therefore, it's feasible she'll be given the accolade if England can go one further in this year's final.
Sir Gareth Southgate received the highest honour of a knighthood after galvanising a broken England squad, taking them to two Euros finals but failing to win either.
On the night, in what has proven to be typical of England this tournament so far, they found themselves behind after a slow start, with Barbara Bonansea finishing after a brilliant Italian move.
The Lionesses showed vast improvements in the second half, but could not penetrate a seemingly unbreakable Italian defence.
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|Sarina Wiegman embraced Michelle Agyemang, who scored her third goal in four England
Alessio Russo had been a threat all evening, but the quality had just been lacking - so her substitution for inexperienced Agyemang made sense, and it certainly paid off.
The 19-year-old sent the game to another round of extra-time after goalkeeper Laura Giuliani spilled the ball, but the composure shown in the box, with just seconds left on the clock, was beyond her years.
And then, Kelly, who hasn’t started a match at the tournament so far but has been crucial in the Lionesses’ second-half revivals, stepped up with just one minute of extra-time to go, tapping home the rebound after her penalty was saved.
"This team fights back, we have that resilience," Kelly told ITV Sport. "But hopefully we can make it a bit easier for ourselves in the final.
“It's an unbelievable feeling. This team deserve nothing but that. Three finals on the bounce, but we want more.
"The penalty wasn't supposed to go like that, but I was just ready for the rebound! I was confident, but the keeper did her homework."