Italy is one win away from reaching the final of the Women’s European Championship, but just three years ago its players couldn’t even get professional contracts back home.

A team mixing youth and experience has delivered the country's first semi-final in a major women's tournament since the 1990s

Italy coach Andrea Soncin found solace in heartbreak after his side came within one minute of reaching the Euro 2025 final, saying it was an encouraging sign that they came so close before losing 2-1 to England in extra time on Tuesday.

Europe shakes global markets, the euro falls against the dollar and government bond yields in Italy and Spain rocket higher. In a lot of respects, we’ve been here before.