Semi-finals Preview
We had two of the four quarter-finals decided on penalties. Will we see any penalty shootouts in the semi-finals as well? England and Spain are favourites in their upcoming semi-finals against Italy and Germany, respectively. Let’s take a closer look at the two matches!
England – Italy
Stade de Genève, Tuesday @ 21:00 CET
England
Results so far:
Group Stage: France – England: 2-1
Group Stage: England – Netherlands: 4-0
Group Stage: England – Wales: 6-1
Quarter-finals: Sweden – England 2-2 (2-3 on penalties)
England had a tough start to the tournament, losing 2-1 to France in their opening match. The defending champions managed to turn things around after that, beating both Netherlands and Wales comfortably, ensuring their spot in the quarter-finals.
Wiegman’s team were favourites in their quarter-final against Sweden, but with only 12 minutes remaining of normal time, Sweden were 2-0 up. Two quick goals from England (Bronze and Agyemang) secured extra-time, and it was England who came out on top in the penalty shootout.
Italy will be a very different opponent, and although England are massive favourites, they will need to avoid any complacency in this one. Coach Wiegman has plenty of big decisions to make, with Chloe Kelly coming on from the bench to provide an assist in their quarter-final comeback a potential starter. She might also opt to leave her on the bench and give James, Hemp and Russo another chance from start.
Defensively, Hampton will be putting the gloves back on and she’ll probably have Bronze, Williamson (if fully fit), Carter and Greenwood ahead of her, with Toone, Walsh and Stanway expected to start in the the middle.
Can the defending champions once again qualify for the final?
Italy
Results so far:
Group Stage: Belgium – Italy: 0-1
Group Stage: Portugal – Italy: 1-1
Group Stage: Italy – Spain: 1-3
Quarter-finals: Norway – Italy: 1-2
Italy have been a positive surprise in this tournament after having failed to advance from the group stage in 2017 and 2022. They were close to beating Portugal in their second match in the group stage, but a late equalizer from Ana Borges ruined the party for the Italians. Despite losing their final match against Spain, they went on to the quarter-finals, where it was their turn to score a late winner.
Cristiana Girelli scored both of Italy’s goals in the quarter-final, and now the Italians are only one step away from their third final in the competition’s history. They are however still without a title in the competition history, and although it is highly unlikely they’ll go all the way, they will certainly be dreaming of it.
Italy manager Soncin will be hoping for more magic from Girelli, while players like Giugliano, Cantore and Caruso will also be key for Italy if they are to grab a win against the defending champions.
Germany – Spain
Stadion Letzigrund, Wednesday @ 21:00
Germany
Results so far:
Group Stage: Germany – Poland: 2-0
Group Stage: Germany – Denmark: 2-1
Group Stage: Sweden – Germany: 4-1
Quarter-finals: France – Germany: 1-1 (5-6 on penalties)
Germany performed a bit of a miracle in the quarter-finals, where they beat France on penalties, despite having played with 10 players after the early red card for Hendrich for hair-pulling.
Germany also got a red card in their final match in the group stage against Sweden, a match they ended up losing 4-1. Manager Christian Wück will want to avoid any red cards in the semi-final, as the challenge ahead of them is difficult enough with 11 players. Wamser, who got sent off against Sweden, is back from her suspension for this one, though Wück will have to manage without Nüsken, who is now suspended due to yellow cards and the aforementioned Hendrich, who is also suspended.
Sarai Linder seems to be out of the match with an injury, but Germany will be hoping for masterclass performances from Bühl, Brand and the hero of the quarter-finals, goalkeeper Berger. Her heroics in the penalty shootout, where she also scored, has been widely talked about. She also saved her teammate Minge from scoring an own goal with an absolute world class save during the match.
Spain are clear favourites, but Germany are unbeaten against Spain in eight meetings, winning five of those, and the Germans will be hoping for another great performance from their goalkeeper Berger on Wednesday.
Spain
Results so far:
Group Stage: Spain – Portugal: 5-0
Group Stage: Spain – Belgium: 6-2
Group Stage: Italy – Spain: 1-3
Quarter-finals: Spain – Switzerland: 2-0
Spain are clear favourites here, and they’re also coming into this match without any big injury problems. Oddly enough, Spain have never won this tournament, whereas Germany have won it 8 times. It is however the world champions from Spain that are expected to win here, and especially considering Germany’s aforementioned injury and suspension problems.
Spain were dominant in their quarter-final against Switzerland, not allowing the tournament hosts a single shot on target and dominating the ball with 73% possession during the match. Athenea del Castillo and Clàudia Pina got the goals for Spain in that match, and the Spain fans will be hoping for more goals from them both, in addition to Esther González and Alexia.
Other key players for Spain are Bonmati, Paredes and Carmona, and it’s hard to see Germany, especially considering the energy they spent playing nearly 120 minutes with only 10 players against France, squeeze past the world champions here.
Odds might have changed since the writing and/or publication of this article.
Last Updated: 21.07.2025
