Latest news with #ChloeKelly
Times
17 hours ago
- Sport
- Times
Chloe Kelly embraces main-character role with a laugh and a prancing step
C hloe Kelly strides up to the ball. The weight of the moment is enormous. So many men and women have made this lonely walk before her, down this long, dark tunnel of fear, towards a small white spot painted on ground that won't swallow you up, however much you might wish it would 30 seconds from now. We all know the history of English players taking penalties which must be scored, and we all know it is a history of misery and pain. She has just seen three of her team-mates miss, fail, crumble. She knows that if she does the same, England will be out, the headlines will be harsh, the golden era will be over. And in the face of all this, in the face of the impassable Swedish goalkeeper, what does she do? Chloe Kelly laughs. She actually giggles. And then, in the grand tradition of Charlie Chaplin and Monty Python, she sticks out a leg.
BBC News
17 hours ago
- Sport
- BBC News
How Kelly's happiness saved England's Euros
When late substitute Chloe Kelly saved England's Euros defence in 103 seconds against Sweden on Thursday night, it proved two how good the 27-year-old is on the pitch. And secondly, how important her happiness is off the who only follow the Lionesses at major tournaments may be unaware of how close the woman who scored the winner in the Euro 2022 final was to not being cast in the sequel three years later. In the first England squad of 2025, Kelly was not selected amid a crisis at club return is the perfect example of how when a player is happy off the field, they thrive on February, Sarina Wiegman left Kelly out of her squad for Nations League games against Portugal and Spain. At the time, she had not played any football since mid-December, having made just one Women's Super League start in the first half of 2024-25. Kelly fell out of favour at former club Manchester City under ex-manager Gareth Taylor. She secured a loan to childhood team Arsenal, having posted emotional messages to social media saying she "wanted to be happy again" and accusing City of planting negative stories about her in the media., externalShe was eventually selected for the February squad when Beth Mead dropped out, and 13 appearances for Arsenal in the back half of the campaign - including starting the Gunners' Champions League final triumph over Barcelona - was enough to earn her place at Euro 2025. She has since joined Arsenal on a permanent Wiegman had not brought Kelly back England would now be out of the Euros, after she made the difference against Karen Bardsley said in 5 Live's quarter-final commentary: "England have to keep going and keep getting the ball to Chloe Kelly."Team-mate Esme Morgan was effusive in her praise following Kelly's decisive performance."She's been training amazingly in the last few days," Morgan, Kelly's former Man City club-mate, told BBC Sport. "So she was high on confidence coming into that game."She seems to thrive on those moments when the team needs her to pull a performance out of the bag. She was just incredible when she came on." 'Chloe and her husband' changed the quarter-final Kelly has spoken about Arsenal putting a "smile back on my face", and that - perhaps as much as her obvious talent - is so important to her as a is close to her family, as the youngest of seven siblings with five older brothers who gave her a tough football education in the five-a-side cages of husband Scott Moore is also a huge presence, as demonstrated by the instantly iconic shin pads Kelly wore against Sweden that featured a picture of the couple kissing on their 2024 wedding day on one, and their pet dogs on the BBC One commentator Robyn Cowen quipped on Thursday night in Zurich: "This game has completely changed since Chloe and her husband came on to the pitch."The happiness and support which drives Kelly also comes from the England squad, in particular the band of 'super subs' who have played an essential role for the Lionesses ever since Wiegman took is infamous for being stubborn in her starting XI selection - the same side started all seven matches at Euro 2022, and there has only been one alteration across four matches in means benched players like Kelly must accept their role - and it is something she has done with relish. Kelly has made 10 sub appearances in Women's Euros matches, the joint most in the history of the competition. She has not yet started a game at Euro 2025 and has played only 126 minutes total - but in that time, has created six chances and provided six successful include England's two goals versus Sweden. She came off the bench in the 76th minute, and the goals arrived on minutes 78 and 80. Four minutes, two goals - saved of course, it was off the bench from where she scored the most important goal in Lionesses history - extra time at Wembley against Germany, poked home from close range, shirt whirling above her head in this has led to a clamour in some quarters for Kelly to start against Italy in the semis-finals - she topped the BBC audience ratings against Sweden, with 8.48 out of 10 - but that is not her role. 'This is a positive clique' Kelly is one of England's "finishers" alongside regular subs like Beth Mead, Aggie Beever-Jones and Michelle Agyemang. She told a news conference at Euro 2025 that they have formed a "positive clique", with their own finger clicking says Maya le Tissier - who has not played a single minute in Switzerland - came up with the idea."We work really hard on the training pitch, in the gym, making sure we're prepared when we go on to the pitch and we have a great group of girls, so it's about enjoying the whole experience as a group," Kelly said."We're good people that support each other every day. We support each other very well as a 23, that's what it takes to win a tournament. In football sometimes cliques are negative, but this is a positive clique.""No matter how bad England were in that first half, you always know England have got goalscorers in that side," former Lionesses keeper Siobhan Chamberlain told 5 Live. "You know if they get their moment, England can get back into the game."All that positivity gave Kelly the confidence to turn the quarter-final around, right down to her penalty in that bizarre shootout. As all around lost their heads, she kept hers with a trademark hop, skip and a jump in her run-up to might not start for England, but she is Mrs Reliable in shootouts. She scored the winning penalty versus Nigeria at the 2023 World Cup and Brazil in the is happy, unbothered, and empowered to save her country, and more importantly her team-mates, whenever they need her."I didn't feel under pressure, I just wanted to create some goals for the girls and do my best," she told BBC Sport after the Sweden win."I think there are times against a top team where you are struggling a little bit, I think that's football. It's about sticking together in those moments; it's riding the storm together and knowing we've got resilient moments and can bounce back from anything."
The Guardian
20 hours ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
‘We're never beaten': Esme Morgan talks up England's mental toughness at Euros
Esme Morgan says her faith in the Lionesses' unwavering belief that they would overturn a two-goal deficit in their dramatic last-eight triumph over Sweden was built on the quality of England's substitutes' bench. The Lionesses defender, who came on as one of three changes in the 70th minute, insists that at no point did she think the holders would be knocked out of the tournament despite being 2-0 down. 'I really had a sense throughout the game, even when we were down, that it wasn't our time to go,' she said. 'Sometimes you just have a sense of calm, which you can't explain, of belief that we're not going to let this happen. I always had faith.' Besides Morgan, Sarina Wiegman was able to bring on Chloe Kelly, Beth Mead, Grace Clinton, Niamh Charles and Michelle Agyemang, who scored England's vital equaliser. Their efforts helped book a last-four spot against Italy on Tuesday following a penalty shootout. Morgan added: 'The depth we have in the squad is such an incredible thing for us to be able to fall back on through this tournament. That's something we're going to continue to rely on. When all of us sat down on the bench for the second half it was just: 'Be ready to come on and change the game' – and all of us were. We've just got such amazing character, grit and determination within the group that we're never beaten.' Morgan's own substitute appearance was her major tournament debut, and she was thrilled that her mother was there to witness it: 'It was really, really special. Apparently my mum was sobbing when I came on, bless her. It was just really nice to get that opportunity. I have been working hard throughout the tournament to stay prepared if I was called on.' Of the 19-year-old Agyemang, who scored her second international goal on only her third cap, Morgan said: 'I'm so proud of the impact she's been able to make. That's twice now she's stepped up in pressure situations. She's someone that we know we can turn to in stressful moments to be a presence, holding the ball up and linking play, making runs in behind. 'She's just so chilled and positive all the time, and ready to take her opportunity. She's such a hard worker in training, and so you know that in those moments she's absolutely ready to come on and make an impact, which is exactly what she did, just getting in great positions around the box. She's proven all the times that she's come on that she's ready to go and make an impact when we need it.' England were also grateful to two decisive crosses from the winger Kelly: 'She's an incredible player,' said Morgan. 'She's been training amazingly in the last few days, scoring a lot of goals, so she was high on confidence coming into that game. She seems to thrive on those moments when the team needs her to pull a performance out of the bag. When I saw her cut in [inside] I just knew she was going to land it on someone's head. Sign up to Moving the Goalposts No topic is too small or too big for us to cover as we deliver a twice-weekly roundup of the wonderful world of women's football after newsletter promotion 'She had a decisive penalty as well and under that pressure, there is nobody I'd rather have in that position. She is so reliable and so composed and calm. She said afterwards she made eye contact with the goalkeeper and they were smirking so she just started laughing. I just think the composure in that moment, to be so free and confident, and just laugh, just shows what a brilliant player she is for stepping up.' Wiegman must now decide for Tuesday's semi-final which of her 'finishers' should start in Geneva. Leah Williamson rolled her ankle and left Thursday's contest in the first period of extra-time but Morgan said England are 'very optimistic' that the captain will be fit enough to face Italy. Whether Morgan plays alongside her from the start, is one for the head coach to ponder.
Sky News
20 hours ago
- Sport
- Sky News
England through to semi-final of Women's Euros after dramatic win over Sweden on penalties
England beat Sweden in a dramatic penalty shootout to keep hopes alive of defending their UEFA Women's Euros title. Nine of the 14 penalties in Zurich were missed - with England edging through after the shootout went to sudden death. The Lionesses looked to be going out in regular time until Lucy Bronze's header kickstarted the comeback in the 79th minute to make it 2-1. Michelle Agyemang pulled them level two minutes later - both goals assisted by sub Chloe Kelly. The defending champions had gone behind early - Kosovare Asllani scoring after just two minutes and Stina Blackstenius adding another mid-way through the first half. 2:00 England's late comeback took it to extra time, but after a deadlocked 30 minutes, it was time for a nail-biting finale. Alessia Russo scored England's first penalty, before Lauren James, Beth Mead, Alex Greenwood and Grace Clinton all had their attempts saved Sweden missed several chances to win the match, including keeper Jennifer Falk putting her own kick over the crossbar. Hannah Hampton grabbed the glory with a game-winning save from Smilla Holmberg after Lucy Bronze's successful penalty meant she needed to score. England's other successful spot kick came from Kelly. The Lionesses now face Italy on Tuesday in the semis. 'That was crazy' England boss Sarina Wiegman described it as "one of the hardest games I've ever watched". "We could have been out of the game three or four times, when you're 2-0 at half time, it's not good," she said. 0:28 "Although we started really bad, at the end it got better, but we didn't create anything so we had to change shape, and we score two goals - that was crazy," she added. "We miss a lot [of penalties], and they miss even more. I need to decompress, I think." Goalkeeper Hampton said it was "stressful watching" and "stressful playing". The 24-year-old, who was left with a bloodied nose in extra-time, said: "Every time I saved one, I was just thinking 'please put it in, so we have a bit of a cushion!' "To be honest, I think I was better in the game when I had one nostril than when I was completely fine!" Pressure had been on the Lionesses after they won the tournament in 2022. The group stages started with a 2-1 defeat to France, but hopes were lifted after they sailed past the Netherlands and Wales to reach the knockout stages. Sweden went into Thursday's game unbeaten, having already defeated Germany, Poland, and Denmark.
The Guardian
a day ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
From penalty taker to physio: Lucy Bronze is England's Swiss army knife
Lucy Bronze pinned up a picture of herself after the 2019 Women's World Cup bronze-medal match against Sweden, which England lost 2-1, for her teammates to see on a wall in the team hotel where players and staff share inspirational images. She was, in her words, 'absolutely exhausted' in it, hairband round her neck, shirt crumpled, hair awry, the physical, emotional and mental pain of the preceding 90 minutes visible. That photo represents so much to Bronze, England's stalwart right-back who no one has come close to replacing and likely never will. 'I will give anything and I will give everything when I play in an England shirt,' she says of the image of her at her most broken. 'I wanted all the girls to know that that's my why. My why is to give everything for this team because I just love playing for England so much.' On Thursday night, at the Stadion Letzigrund that Bronze had spent the afternoon replicating in Lego with Michelle Agyemang, the veteran defender encapsulated her why, delivering for the Lionesses when it mattered most. Bronze was left with an array of new photos to choose from: standing arms wide in the first half, pleading for a diagonal ball that could unlock a path into Sweden's half on the right; powering in her header from the substitute Chloe Kelly's cross from the left to halve the two-goal deficit, then kicking an advertising hoarding in a show of emotion; taking tape out of the team doctor's bag to tightly strap her own thigh deep into extra time before ripping the remains of the tape away; and dispatching England's final spot-kick in the tensest and most chaotic of shootouts at a speed of 102.51kph. 'I just felt a little bit tight at the end of the game and I thought: 'I just need to get through to make sure I can keep going,'' Bronze said of the self-treatment. 'But then I thought: 'It's going to hinder me in a penalty.' I didn't expect it to go to the sixth penalty, so I didn't take it off and then it was my penalty and I thought: 'I need to take this off, I'm going to smack it.'' Beth Mead said: 'Lucy was chaotic. A lot going on. With her taping her leg up she became a physio, [then] she became a striker and nailed the best penalty of the day. She did it all. Lucy really showed her experience in those moments. She's our most experienced England player and she was one of the players that very much got that determination out of us all today.' Bronze's message to Hannah Hampton before she stepped up to take her spot-kick was concise. 'I literally said to Hannah: 'I'll score this, you save the next one: game over,'' Bronze told Sky Sports, ice strapped to her right thigh, some kind of recovery device attached to a calf, as she marshalled Agyemang through the mixed zone, prompting her follow goalscorer to speak, coaching her through this high-interest new world after the 19-year-old's phenomenal introduction to the senior side. It is not the first time Bronze has done this: it was the 33-year-old who virtually grabbed Lauren James by the scruff of the neck after the forward's player-of-the-match performance in the 2023 Arnold Clark Cup and told her she had to speak to the press, doing the interview alongside her, encouraging her. It was also Bronze who stepped forward after the humbling 2-1 loss to France in England's opening game of these Euros and rallied the side. She leaned into her Lionesses history to help the squad over the psychological hurdle of, in effect, being straight into knockout football by sharing that, after a loss to France in the opening game of the 2015 World Cup, the team went on to come third, their best finish in that competition up to then. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion One member of Football Association staff described Bronze after the 3-2 win over Sweden on penalties as the best player they had worked with. In the press conference, Sarina Wiegman, usually so dispassionate in the face of questions about individual players, preferring to not highlight them over the team, let her love for coaching Bronze out, adrenaline still flowing. 'Lucy Bronze is just one of a kind,' the head coach said. 'I have never, ever seen this before in my life. I'm a very lucky person that I've worked with so many incredible people and incredible football players, and there are so, so many, but what she does, her mentality, and how she took that penalty and the goal … She gets it in the net, but that's not what defines her. What defines her is that resilience, that fight. I think the only way to get her off the pitch is in a wheelchair.' Turning 34 in October, Bronze is edging nearer to her career's close, but she is fighting the end, forcing it further and further into the future with each exhilarating performance. But it is not just the performances that matter. Bronze's experience and influence are significant and vital as the next generation comes through. England need her, not only at right-back, but everywhere and in every way.
