Kelly issues response to doubters after Euro 2025-winning penalty
Kelly had come on for the injured Lauren James after 40 minutes and delivered a pinpoint cross to assist Alessia Russo for the equaliser in the second half.
It was yet another decisive impact at Euro 2025 from Kelly, who has seen her fortunes transform since joining Arsenal on loan in January this year.
'There were a lot of tears at full-time, especially when I saw my family because those were the people that got me through those tough dark moments,' she reflected.
'That's a story to tell someone that experiences something similar, tough times don't last.
'Just around the corner was a Champions League final, won that. Then a Euros final, won that. Thank you to everyone that wrote me off, I'm grateful."
"England are crowned queens of European football again!" 😍
Re-live it all! 👇🍿
Having started the domestic season at Manchester City, Kelly found herself outcast from the squad and struggling to get minutes even as a substitute.
But a post on her Instagram story in January stating she wanted to be 'happy again' forced a loan move to Arsenal on deadline day.
Having been dropped by England, the following months saw her earn a starting spot in north London and force her way back into favour with Sarina Wiegman, for whom she had plenty of praise.
'She's bloody amazing. She's an incredible woman, what she's done for this country, we should all be so grateful for,' said Kelly.
'What she's done for me individually, she gave me hope when I probably didn't have any. She gave me an opportunity to represent my country again. I knew that I had to get game time and representing England is never a given.
"But what she's done for the women's game, not just in England, in the Netherlands she's done it, she's taken it to a whole other level.
'The work doesn't go unnoticed from the staff behind her, they're incredible people and I'm so grateful to have worked with such amazing staff members.'
And the Arsenal forward has truly repaid Wiegman's faith in her this tournament.
Her 78th-minute introduction in the quarter-finals against Sweden proved decisive as she delivered an assist just over 60 seconds after coming on, before setting up the equaliser just two minutes after that as England drew 2-2.
In the semi-finals, too, Kelly scored the winner to send England through to the final and while her introduction came far earlier at St. Jakob Park against Spain, her impact was not reduced.
With a knack for delivering in the biggest moments, having scored the winner at Wembley in 2022, she once more stepped up with an assist for the equaliser and a match-winning penalty fired into the top left hand corner.
Having done it all before, her celebration was as cool as it gets for a championship winning goal, but the moment still meant everything to the forward who has capped off a fairytale story of redemption.
'I just came onto the pitch and wanted to make something happen. I know Less [Russo]'s strengths and just wanted to put the ball on her head,' Kelly reflected.
'Of course, taking the penalty, I actually missed three penalties in training yesterday but the belief in the squad, in the whole 23 players and the staff members to get us through this tournament.
'I'm really proud to be English right now and I'm proud to be part of an amazing group of girls.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scotsman
41 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Hibs make history before Midtjylland - now it's about a seismic result at their fortress
Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... There won't be a spare seat in the house. Hibs v Midtjylland at Easter Road is one of the hottest tickets in town as the capital club bid to keep their Europa League adventure going. The sold-out signs are up. More than 18,500 home fans are expected on Thursday night for the second leg of this tie, which is finely poised at 1-1 following the first leg in Herning last week. Hibs believe this will set a new club record home attendance since the stadium was redeveloped in the 1990s and 2000s. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The hope will be that this enlarged green-and-white army can roar Hibs over the line against pretty decent Danish opposition. The draw at the MCH Arena was a merited scoreline for David Gray's men, who clearly caught the SuperLiga side off-guard with their disciplined defensive performance and pacey prowess in attack. Midtjylland were booed off the pitch by their own fans but responded on Monday night by skelping Sonderjyske 6-2, with star striker Franculino bagging a hat-trick. Hibs head coach David Gray takes training ahead of Thursday's match with Midtjylland. | SNS Group As Hibs head coach Gray is at pains to point out, the job is far from done. Midtjylland are experienced European campaigners. Two seasons ago they were in the Champions League and last year they made it to the knock-out phase of the Europa League before eventually succumbing to Real Sociedad. They've rubbed shoulders with some good teams. Hibs will hope that a raucous Easter Road can spook them. What the Danes have shown in their three competitive matches this season is that while they can score (ten goals), they also leave the door open with six concessions. Only 200 travelling fans are expected to make the journey to Scotland. Hibs' sense of excitement is heightened by the fact they have not lost competitively at Easter Road since November 9 last year, when St Mirren turned them over. There have been victories over Celtic, Hearts, Aberdeen and two draws with Rangers. Most visitors in 2025 have left empty-handed. For too long Easter Road has not been a fortress; it is now. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Hibs want to top list with Midtjylland scalp 'I think any team that's going to be successful rely on a really strong home form,' said Gray in his pre-match press conference. "You just touched on some of the big teams we've managed to beat at Easter Road, and this would certainly be right at the very top of that list if we were able to go and do that, and progress in the tie. "You want your home form to be as good as it can be, and make it a difficult place to come with the atmosphere, and the fans will certainly do that on Thursday night, which will be great. They will be right behind the players right from the first second of the game, so I'm really looking forward to it myself.' Gray has played his part in some memorable Easter Road European nights as player, not least scoring in a 3-2 win over Asteras Tripolis in 2018 when the hosts were 2-0 down. The former right-back admitted to a tinge of envy to those involved on the pitch. David Gray celebrates scoring against Asteras Tripolis in 2018. | SNS Group "It's probably one of the games where I'll sit and go, 'Wish I was playing tonight',' he laughed, before adding, 'and then after five minutes it's, 'Thank God I'm not playing tonight' when you see the speed some people are running! Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad "There's a real feel-good factor around the place at the minute, and it's a reward for how well we've done." Should Hibs lose - and Midtjylland remain favourites to make it through to a third-round tie with Norwegian side Fredrikstad - then they will remain in Europe. They would drop into the Conference League third qualifying round and most likely face Serbian side Partizan Belgrade, who lead Oleksandriya 2-0 from the first leg. But there is no doubting that Hibs want to be heading just south of Oslo next week rather than the Balkans. It is a nice quest to have given that they were bottom of the Premiership just last winter. Mood around Easter Road 'is so good' 'The mood around the club right now is so good and everyone's on a real high,' said defender Jack Iredale. 'We want to make sure we continue that and we wouldn't be able to get here without the fans supporting us. They stuck with us in real difficult times and now I feel like we're paying them back a little bit. They're going to play such a massive role tomorrow, so I can't wait for the atmosphere and playing under the lights.' Iredale only joined Hibs less than a year ago, yet the impressive Australian centre-half already has given Easter Road a moment to savour with a volleyed derby winner from outside the penalty box. "Oh, a volley from 30 yards?' he smiled when asked of a repeat. 'I'll see what I can do. I wouldn't hold your breath for that one.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Perhaps not, but Hibs do a have a decent shot in this tie. Owned by Anders Holch Povlsen, the richest man in Denmark, the pressure is on Midtjylland to prevail and should the Leithers make it through, it would be one of Scottish football's best achievements in Europe outside of the Old Firm in recent times. "These are the games, it's why you do it,' added Gray. 'You might never get the opportunity to do these things again. We need to make sure the players are ready, the game plan's in place, we know where we still need to improve from the first leg. We're under no illusions that the task is going to be huge, we know that. But go and enjoy it as well, you need to embrace it.
Scottish Sun
41 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Dor Turgeman transfer chase heats up as Rangers face serious competition from MLS and Europe
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) DOR TURGEMAN has been a name consistently linked with a move to Rangers this summer. But the Israel international certainly isn't short of interested parties. Sign up for the Rangers newsletter Sign up 2 Dor Turgeman in action for Israel Credit: AFP 2 He was prolific last season for Maccabi Tel Aviv Credit: Getty The 21-year old has been on Rangers' radar after a superb 2024/25 campaign. He netted 15 goals in 32 games to fire Maccabi Tel Aviv to title glory. The Light Blues have been watching Turgeman, capped eight times for his country, for some time but no deal has happened. Less than two weeks ago, Maccabi Tel Aviv boss Zarko Lazetic claimed it would take a FAIRYTALE offer for the club to consider selling Turgeman. The conflict between Israel and Iran has complicated matters further with Maccabi Tel Aviv extra keen to hold on to their top Israeli stars due to the decreasing likelihood of being able to attract foreign players. But Rangers are far from the only interested party. MLS Insider Tom Bogert is reporting that New England Revolution are interested in signing Turgeman. Fellow MLS outfit Portland Timbers are also credited with an interest. Turgeman would be an attractive signing for MLS clubs as they could bring him in on an U22 Initiative deal due to his age. That sort of contract allows MLS sides to sign up to three players aged 22 or under to lucrative deals - but at a reduced budget charge. Major Mikey Moore Rangers loan doubts & 'strange situation' at Celtic + transfer news Go Ballistic The report also notes that there is 'a lot of competition' from European clubs for Turgeman. Rangers' interest in signing a striker could depend a lot on the futures of Hamza Igamane and Cyriel Dessers. Morocco international Igamane has been the subject of plenty of interest but despite reports of him being close to a move to Lille, the French club have yet to firm up their interest. Dessers had looked likely to join AEK Athens earlier in the summer but it has all gone quiet on that front. Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
The Sun
41 minutes ago
- The Sun
Chelsea hit stumbling block in Xavi Simons transfer chase… because RB Leipzig aren't interested in any Blues stars
CHELSEA'S Xavi Simons chase has hit a snag — as RB Leipzig do not want any Blues players. Christopher Nkunku, Armando Broja, Tyrique George and Carney Chukwuemeka have all been offered as makeweights. 6 6 6 But the German club want a straight-up £60million fee for the Dutch playmaker, 22. Agent Ali Barat — hired by Simons to sort out his exit and who has close ties with Chelsea — is trying to break the stalemate. But Stamford Bridge chiefs are making progress with loaning out young players. Midfielder Kendry Paez, 18, has followed keeper Mike Penders, 20, to sister club Strasbourg and striker Marc Guiu, 19, is joining Sunderland. The Blues have also signed winger Jesse Derry, 18, from Crystal Palace. Simons initially joined RB Leipzig on loan from Paris Saint-Germain in 2023. The Dutch international made the switch permanent back in January. RB Leipzig forked out a club-record £43million to sign Simons. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK 6 6 While significant add-ons were also agreed that could take the fee up to as much as £70m. Simons decided to quit the German club after they failed to qualify for the Champions League. How Nicolas Jackson could make £80m Newcastle switch | Transfers Exposed 6
