Italy players caught laughing at Chloe Kelly moments before England equaliser

Smirking Italy defender Boattin was left with egg on her face after being caught mocking Chloe Kelly moments before England’s dramatic stoppage time equaliser.

Still trailing to Barbara Bonansea’s first half goal, the Lionesses appeared destined for an agonising exit when Kelly placed the ball in the corner quadrant with three minutes of injury time remaining.

The England super-sub, who had earlier come close to scoring directly from a corner, miscued her attempted cross and it dribbled tamely into the side netting.

At that moment, Italy’s players and coaching staff must’ve thought their place in the final was assured.

As the camera cut to the bench, some of the substitutes could hardly bring themselves to watch, but Boattin, an unused replacement, struggled to hide her amusement at Kelly’s misfortune.

England, and Kelly, would have the last laugh, however. With 60 seconds left on the clock Michelle Agyemang pounced on a loose ball to fire Sarina Wiegman’s side level and spark riotous scenes.

But the drama did not end there. As another penalty shootout loomed the award of a controversial penalty saw Kelly afforded the chance to win the contest from the spot.

Although the Arsenal forward saw her effort saved, she remained alert enough to bury the rebound and booked her side’s place in Sunday’s showpiece.

Kelly’s long-time international teammate Lucy Bronze, meanwhile, insisted England had nothing to prove after another dramatic comeback.

‘I think people from the outside think teams have to win every single game,’ defender Bronze said.

‘I think people talk about consistency with this England team, we’ve done six consecutive semi-finals, three consecutive finals, who else has done that? Nobody.

‘You know, Spain and Germany are fantastic teams, even they haven’t managed that feat.

‘It’s hard to stay at the top in international football, so many teams, they have performances, then it’s up and down, they develop, but this team just keeps fighting until the end.

‘I feel like we didn’t have anything to prove because we’ve been there, we’ve done it many, many times.

‘It’s just the fact that the game’s getting better, international football’s not as easy as it used to be. Everybody’s fighting and everyone wants to win and everyone feels like they can win.’