The Azzurre looked to be on their way to the final thanks to Barbara Bonansea’s well-taken goal in the first half.
But teenage forward Michelle Agyemang came off the bench to equalise for England in the sixth minute of stoppage time and Chloe Kelly touched in the rebound of her saved penalty to decide the encounter in the 119th minute.
“The word that remains with us is pride,” said Soncin.
“The girls should be proud of what they did, pushing the reigning champions should give us so much belief for the future.
“There are no words to describe the emotions that we have felt during this journey.
“It deserved a different ending, after so many decisions that are difficult to comment on,” he said, referring to the soft penalty that decided the match.
“We felt the support of the Italian people, both tonight and during our other matches.
“There have been many wonderful messages from Italy, which is another victory for the girls.
“It’s a shame as we were so close to our dream of playing in the final.”
ANSA
