Agyemang's 'inevitable' instinct firing England's Euros title defence

Teenager's chaos factor no longer a secret but is giving rivals nightmares in Switzerland

Michelle Agyemang’s impact from the bench has been key to England’s progress at Euro 2025. Credit: James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images

Football has a tendency to produce ripple effects. When Alessia Russo went down with an ankle injury in April’s 5-0 Nations League win against Belgium, England held their breath. An injury to their starting centre-forward with a major tournament looming was the last thing anyone needed. As it turns out, that injury to Russo, which proved to be minor, may have inadvertently kept England’s hopes of defending their Euros title alive.

Short on recognised options, Sarina Wiegman opted to roll the dice by calling up Michelle Agyemang, a 19-year-old who at that point hadn’t even made a career start in the Women’s Super League. In the return fixture against Belgium, with the Lionesses trailing, Agyemang was called into action from the bench to try and rescue England, scoring with a stunning effort on the half-volley 41 seconds into her international debut. Talk about a way to make an impression.