19-07-2025
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.
