Latest news with #penalty
The Sun
11 hours ago
- Sport
- The Sun
England star reveals Chloe Kelly's two-word message before crucial penalty in Euro 2025 semi-final vs Italy
ALEX GREENWOOD has opened on her conversation with Chloe Kelly prior to the England star's crucial late penalty in last night's win over Italy. The Lionesses booked their place in Sunday's Euro 2025 final by squeezing past the Italians in Geneva. 4 Sarina Wiegman 's side had trailed for much of the match courtesy of Barbara Bonansea's 33rd minute opener. But England were bailed out by teenage sensation Michelle Agyemang's last-gasp leveller with 96 minutes on the clock. And they were then presented with the chance to win the match late on in extra time, when Beth Mead was brought down in the box. Having come off the bench, Kelly took the crucial spot kick. The 27-year-old's penalty was initially saved, only for Kelly to calmly slot home the rebound and send England into the final. After the match, England star Greenwood gushed over Kelly - revealing the two-word message that the Arsenal ace gave her ahead of the spot kick. The defender, 31, said: "That takes a lot of courage to step up to take that. "I asked her, she had no doubt in her mind, she was confident enough to take it. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK 4 "All of our penalty takers were off, so who was left was probably me or Chloe. I missed the pen in the (Sweden) game, in the shootout, Chloe scored hers comfortably, so they (manager Sarina Wiegman and No2 Arjan Veurink) said, 'It's up to you, you or Chloe'. "I asked her, I looked at her and said, 'What do you think?' She said, 'I'm confident'. "That's enough for me. I don't need to ask her again. She's confident enough to take it, so she did. "She's great. She's brilliant. I mean, she came on, she caused them massive problems, she did the other day. She scores a penalty. "The way she carries herself off the pitch, I've not got enough good words to say about her." Boss Wiegman later added: "I think Chloe thrives on these moments. She's excited about them, she loves those moments. You can tell. "We always had the opportunity to bring fresh players on who bring a lot of quality. "We ended up with more players up front, which was necessary because it was a wall we had to find a hole in. They did really good. "When you go a goal down and have to come from behind against Italy, you know you have a problem. "We had some serious challenges. We didn't play well in the first half, we had a lot of the ball but we didn't have the energy. "The second half was better but they defended really well, and there wasn't much space in the final third." The Lionesses will face either Spain or Germany in Sunday's final, with the two heavyweight nations set to meet in tonight's second semi. 4
The Independent
13 hours ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Alex Greenwood reveals conversation with Chloe Kelly before crucial Euros penalty
Alex Greenwood has revealed the conversation she shared with Chloe Kelly before the match-winning penalty in England's Euro 2025 semi-final with Italy. Kelly came off the bench to score the goal that sent England through to Sunday's final against either Spain or Germany. The Lionesses were on the brink of elimination by Italy when 19-year-old substitute Michelle Agyemang forced extra time, drawing the sides level with an equaliser in the sixth minute of stoppage time to cancel out Barbara Bonansea's 33rd-minute opener. Then, with another shootout minutes away, Beth Mead was brought down and Kelly stepped up to the spot, where she was initially denied by Laura Giuliani, but buried the rebound to complete England's second successive stunning comeback. "That takes a lot of courage to step up to take that," Greenwood said. "I asked her, she had no doubt in her mind, she was confident enough to take it. "All of our penalty takers were off, so who was left was probably me or Chloe. I missed the pen in the (Sweden) game, in the shootout, Chloe scored hers comfortably, so they (manager Sarina Wiegman and assistant Arjan Veurink) said, 'It's up to you, you or Chloe'. "I asked her, I looked at her and said, 'What do you think?' She said, 'I'm confident'. That's enough for me. I don't need to ask her again. She's confident enough to take it, so she did. "She's great. She's brilliant. I mean, she came on, she caused them massive problems, she did the other day. She scores a penalty. The way she carries herself off the pitch, I've not got enough good words to say about her." Kelly's mere presence at this tournament looked anything but a certainty seven months ago. In January, the 27-year-old was so unhappy with her situation at Manchester City that she took to social media, candidly expressing her desire to leave a situation she said, at the time, had "huge impact on not only my career but my mental wellbeing". Kelly secured a deadline-day loan move back to former club Arsenal, and after a highly successful spell - including a Champions League trophy - was rewarded with a permanent contract after she became a free agent at the end of the season. Having risen to prominence as the substitute whose extra-time winner at Wembley sealed the Lionesses' first major trophy at Euro 2022, Kelly has once again been a marvel in Switzerland, proving she is a woman who can always be relied upon under maximum pressure. It was Kelly's crosses in their Sweden quarter-final comeback that allowed Lucy Bronze, then Agyemang, to draw the sides level in the final 11 minutes of normal time, and her calm, collected and clinical spot-kick was an anomaly in the chaotic shootout that ultimately booked their meeting with Italy. But even as late as February, she was initially left out of Wiegman's Nations League squad, when the England boss explained "she hasn't played enough", though she was later drafted in when Mead withdrew with an injury. Asked after Tuesday's victory where her confidence comes from, Kelly smiled and replied: "Myself. The moments when, in January, I felt like giving up football makes you so grateful for these moments here today, and makes you enjoy every minute of that. "I think confidence comes from within, but also from around you as well. The players that we stand side by side with on the pitch breed confidence in each other. "I think a lot of self-talk definitely happens, and the people you surround yourself with off the pitch, my family, is really important to me, and they breed a lot of confidence in me."
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Lucy Bronze's iconic moment saves England and seals her place as a Lionesses legend
"One of a kind," Sarina Wiegman said of Lucy Bronze. Her "fighter" of a full-back certainly offered an image that will go down in England folklore, albeit after a team performance that won't quite be mentioned as prominently. Only the spirit, appropriately, will prevail. After a series of absurd misses, in what might well have been one of the worst penalty shoot-outs in football history, a hobbling Bronze ripped off the strapping on her left leg, and strode forward. An astonishing eight of the 12 previous penalties had been squandered. Some had been missed in scarcely believable fashion, the emotional momentum of the shoot-out veering as wildly as some of the shots. So, Bronze just smashed it straight into the roof of the net. '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. 'I thought, it's going to hinder me in a penalty. I didn't expect it to go to the sixth penalty, and then it was my penalty. I thought, I need to take this off. I'm going to actually smack it.' 'That resilience, that fight," Wiegman enthused. The manager ended up conjuring another image about Bronze. 'The only way you get her off the pitch is in a wheelchair.' Bronze was the personification of England perseverance, which is one quality you can certainly bank on - even in a performance like this. The kick similarly represented a decisiveness that had been missing from the previous 10 minutes, and most of the game. It also seemed to scramble Sweden for one final kick, as the 18-year-old Smilla Holmberg became just the latest player to sky the ball. This time, it was enough. Bronze's force had driven England into the semi-finals of Euro 2025 - and that after her late goal had sparked the comeback. Her team are now somehow 90 minutes from another final, albeit after a display where they really only played well for a few minutes. Much of that was down to the transformative Chloe Kelly. The obvious discussion now will be over what this emotion does for the team, over the resolve, whether there will now be a momentum from this, a relief that releases them. Wiegman said it was the most chaotic game she'd ever been part of. 'I can't remember anything like this,' she said. Over an hour later, while appearing at her press conference after 1am in Zurich, the manager said she was 'still hyper, still emotional'. But, if we're talking about intangible elements like that, you simply have to focus on the psychodrama of the penalties. It was unlike almost any witnessed in football history, and a rare occasion where the final score of the regulation five each - 2-2 - equalled the actual game. While Bronze finally seized the moment, it's hard not to feel that Sweden ultimately - and calamitously - let it slip away. And that's not just because they were 2-0 up in the 79th minute - a fact that almost felt irrelevant given everything that happened after that. Hannah Hampton later said she could barely remember the first 45 minutes. Her save early in the second half kept England in it, to go with those in the shoot-out. 'That was crucial,' Wiegman said. Sweden still had the chance to secure their semi-final place as it was 2-2 with that very last regulation penalty, an anticipation only heightened as goalkeeper Jennifer Falk sensationally turned around and actually take it. Saving three penalties evidently wasn't enough for her. She wanted to be a treble hero, with the last word. It wouldn't even be the second or third last word. Hampton admitted she was 'surprised' and briefly 'panicked'. For all their preparation, England didn't have the data on her on the opposing goalkeeper's penalty record. All of that went out the window, with Falk's shot. The goalkeeper was the first to sky had to show them how it was the nature of the shoot-out naturally draws most focus, and is pretty much all most people will remember after that, there was still a performance that should draw at least some concern. 'I didn't enjoy it,' Wiegman said, albeit with laughter. She also pointedly disagreed with some criticisms of England's performance before Kelly dramatically transformed it from the 70th minute. The back-and-forth nature of the shoot-out actually reflected England's display in some ways. England got it wrong, then got it right, then got it wrong again, only to display that vintage individual resolve to somehow get through. One of the most remarkable aspects - before the penalties - was that Wiegman made the exact same mistakes as against France in the opening game. It was as if nothing had actually been learned, and that the recent revival was because of the poverty of opposition in the Welsh and Dutch games. England were still woefully vulnerable to pace. Keira Walsh had again been dominated in midfield, and Wiegman's side badly struggled to play through it. Sweden clearly targeted Jess Carter for pressing, but Leah Williamson wasn't exactly sure-footed beside her. This was the source of both Swedish goals. Kosovare Asllani strode through after two minutes, and Stina Blackstenius - whose pressing was causing all manner of problems - scorched through for the second. England's response was so meek until eventually, and what felt so belatedly, Wiegman made three subs. They were surprising subs, especially in removing Georgia Stanway and Ella Toone and not bringing on a replacement midfielder. England front-loaded and went direct. Kelly, who followed Wiegman's triple-change, played a superb ball for Bronze to head in brilliantly at the back post. She defiantly kicked a hoarding, in a foreshadowing of what was to come. Sweden just didn't expect what came next to arrive so quickly. England went straight for goal again. Kelly was this time central and, within two minutes, Michelle Agyemang had turned it in. A new hero. Delirium. But not quite a new direction. The one issue with Wiegman's subs was that they were right for the situation but not for an open game. Extra-time did look a lot like England were just trying to play through it and maybe take a chance. It also comes at a cost, despite the prize of that semi-final. Having gone the distance, all of Williamson, Bronze and Lauren James will need patching up. Williamson is of most concern, having rolled her ankle. Apart from the physical recovery, there's also going to have to be a lot of thought about the team for that semi-final. "I need to calm down," Wiegman said, as Hampton answered a Facetime from family in the press conference. It was that kind of mood. But danger awaits. Italy will surely have taken note of the blueprint to play this England. Wiegman's side have twice struggled in this tournament against quick and physical pressing teams. There were even signs of that going much further back, to the 2023 World Cup. Except, England still go that bit further in this tournament. Wiegman's sole defeat in knockout football is still that 2023 World Cup final to Spain. They still persevere. They still have that resolve, that grit. 'I think that's a quality that is so strong in this team, that togetherness and fighting back,' Wiegman said. 'It shows so much resilience.' England found a way. So much of that was through Bronze.
New York Times
14 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Chloe Kelly: England's confident, calm hero who ‘thrives' in pressure moments
All of England's usual penalty-takers were off the pitch. So when they were awarded a penalty in the 119th minute of their semi-final against Italy, Alex Greenwood went over to Sarina Wiegman and her assistant Arjan Veurink to ask who should take it. 'It's up to you: you or Chloe (Kelly),' said the coaches. Greenwood looked her team-mate in the eye and said, 'What do you think?' Advertisement Kelly replied, 'I'm confident'. Greenwood, who missed her penalty against Sweden in the shootout, did not need to ask again. Kelly took her usual hop, skip and kick run up, but the height was comfortable for Laura Giuliani, who made a brilliant save. Kelly, however, was quickest to react on the follow-up, toe-poking the ball home and sealing England's spot in the European Championship final via a 2-1 win after extra time. Amid the chaotic mess England had created for themselves, Kelly brought a moment of calm. 'She thrives in these moments,' said Wiegman. 'She loves them, you can tell.' The player who scored the Euro 2022 winning goal had just sent England through to their third consecutive major tournament final. Neither Kelly's saved penalty nor England's performance was pretty, but somehow they got the job done. Kelly's goal celebrations sum her up. One was 'chill out… I was going to score', and the other, posing with one hand on the corner flag, was inspired by Thierry Henry. She is cold as ice and plays with swagger. When asked who has made Kelly the person she is today, her first answer was: 'Myself'. 'Chloe is just attitude, sass, confidence,' said her former Manchester City team-mate Lucy Bronze. 'When she's on the pitch, no matter the moment, how she's feeling, the crowd, she's going to push her shoulders back, big up her chest and go for it. She's just got this attitude and confidence, you can't buy it.' The youngest of seven siblings, Kelly learned to be resilient from an early age. Her five brothers — Daniel, the oldest, then Jack, followed by triplets Ryan, Jamie and Martin — embody honest hard work while her mum is as 'tough as nails'. Kelly began at her childhood club Queens Park Rangers before moving to Arsenal's centre of excellence, where she signed her first contract. But she was loaned twice to Everton and took the rejection as motivation to prove herself. Advertisement Her story is one of grafting, patience and comebacks. You can call it confidence, sass or swagger, but Kelly knows her worth, and her past experiences have shaped her today. The 27-year-old winger was frozen out of the City squad last season after losing her starting place following a breakdown in her relationship with manager Gareth Taylor. She desperately needed game time to secure a place in the England squad and eventually got it after securing a six-month loan move to Arsenal, with whom she won the Champions League last season. She has since joined the north London club on a three-year deal. 'The moments in January when I felt like giving up football make you so grateful for these moments here today,' said Kelly after the game. 'It makes you enjoy every minute of that.' 'She just doesn't really care what people think,' said defender Esme Morgan, who spent four years with Kelly at City. 'She is just her own person and works hard.' Kelly rose from the dark days just before Euro 2022. The year prior, she ruptured her right anterior cruciate ligament and worked tirelessly to be fit enough in time for selection. Bronze, who shared the City gym with Kelly as she recovered from her knee injury for the first half of the 2021-2022 season, recalls the 'blood, sweat and tears' during those sessions. 'You probably wouldn't expect her to be that crazy in the gym, but she's such a competitor, so resilient,' said Bronze. 'That's why I know when she's coming on in an England shirt, she can make a difference and she'll give her all. I've seen it when nobody was there, when the fans weren't there, the team wasn't there, it was just me and her.' Kelly has fulfilled the role of super sub to perfection. Against Sweden, when she came on in the 78th minute, her two pinpoint crosses were crucial to England's comeback. She then dispatched her penalty with class. Against Italy, Kelly, as shown by the graphic below, ranked top for progressive carries, an impressive statistic given she only came on in the 77th minute. Despite not starting a single game, the England winger has also created eight chances, the highest number for a substitute in the competition. By comparison, Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo have started all five games and created 10 and 11 chances, respectively. Kelly accepts her role as a substitute without complaints. She was full of praise for her team-mate Michelle Agyemang, who brought England back from the brink yet again, describing the 19-year-old as an 'unbelievable player' who has 'the world at her feet'. Advertisement 'Kelly is a great team-mate to have around,' said Bronze. 'She has not started any of the games but has made a difference in every single one. She is one of those players you want on your team.' 'The way she carries herself off the pitch; I've not got enough good words to say about her,' added Greenwood. Despite Kelly saying she is responsible for who she is today, she has not forgotten those who have helped her on this journey. 'Confidence comes from within but from around you as well,' she said. 'The players I stand side by side with on the pitch breed confidence in each other. A lot of self-talk definitely happens. My family is really important and breeds a lot of confidence within me.'
The Herald
19 hours ago
- Sport
- The Herald
Banyana relinquish their African throne
Desiree Ellis's side suffered a blow midway through the first half when dependable centre half Tiiesetso Makhubela was forced to limp off with an injury. Surprisingly, Ellis did not replace Makhubela with another defender but opted to bring on striker Hildah Magaia to partner Seoposenwe, with Gabriela Salgado moved to the left side of the midfield. But the Super Falcons always looked dangerous, especially with Esther Okoronkwo and skipper Rasheeday Ajibade giving them a lot of options and providing plenty of supply for the strikers, Folashade Ijamilusi and Chinwendu Ihezuo. It was amid that dominance that Ijamulisi forced Banyana defender Bambanani Mbane to handle her shot inside the area on the stroke of halftime. The referee pointed to the spot and Ajibade made no mistake. Though Dlamini nearly cost Banyana with another mistake at the restart, Banyana did eventually find an equaliser on the hour mark when Magaia had been fouled by Osinachi Ohale inside the area. Linda Motlhalo, Banyana's penalty specialist, gave Chiamaka Nnadozie in goals for Nigeria no chance as she slotted her second penalty in the tournament. After this goal, Banyana gained control and were unlucky to see Noxolo Cesane's shot cleared off the line by Ohale after Seoposenwe had played a lovely diagonal pass for the substitute. Ten minutes before fulltime, Salgado suffered a nasty injury while trying to clear a corner kick. This was a second forced substitute for SA after Makhubela left the field injured too in the first half. The Super Falcons will await the winner of hosts Morocco against Ghana to find out who they will face in the final in Rabat on Saturday.
