2025-09-01 11:15:41
Chloe Kelly knew she was going to score the decisive penalty in the Euro 2025 final.
The England forward slammed home the crucial spot-kick as the Lionesses beat Spain to defend their continental crown this summer and claims that she had no doubt at all when she stepped up from 12 yards.
Kelly told The Sunday Times newspaper’s Style magazine: “It didn’t feel like pressure. I knew I was going to score. I missed penalties the day before in training so I got my misses out of me. It’s you versus the keeper and I back myself. Everything goes quiet in my mind at that time when you’re stepping up. You can’t hear the fans. It’s literally the whistle, me and her. What’s the worst that can happen?”
The Arsenal star explained that penalty shootouts are straightforward as she has already battled through injuries and mental challenges to represent her country.
Kelly said: “I could miss. Then the next person steps up and I back them to score. That for me doesn’t feel like pressure. I’ve had the worst moments in my career because of injury not playing, going through tough moments mentally. Missing a penalty doesn’t define me.”
The England ace is frustrated by comparisons between women’s and men’s football and stressed that females just want “better standards” in the game.
She said: “It’s just football, it’s not men’s football, it’s not women’s football. Women can’t be men, so we’re never going to play men’s football. We are our own game. I don’t think equal pay is what we chase. We want equal access for young girls lower down the leagues and better standards in our sport. Pay is not everything to us because there was a time when women couldn’t play the sport at all. If we chase pay, we’ll probably lose the love for the game.”
Visit Bang Premier (main website)
