Summary:
- Chloe Kelly marked the winning penalty shootout goal that pushed England ahead of Spain in the Euro 2025 final.
- The player explained that her unique ball-spinning routine helped her stay focused in high-pressure situations.
- Beth Mead was asked to retake her shot.
Chloe Kelly once again carved her name into England football history with a decisive penalty that clinched the Euro 2025 title for the Lionesses on Sunday.
The Arsenal forward stepped up with calm assurance and buried the final spot-kick in a tense shootout win over Spain, following a missed attempt by Spanish substitute Salma Paralluelo.
However, it was not only the power and placement of her penalty that put her into the spotlight, but the actual routine preceding it.
“Not Letting Anyone Take Me Off My Routine”
Fans watched as Kelly rolled the ball around on the spot multiple times before settling it, took a deep breath, lifted her knee in a rhythmic hop-step motion, and then drove the ball into the net with confidence.
Kelly explained after the match.
Honestly, it’s just making sure that I am ready, not letting anyone take me off my routine. I spin the ball so I feel like it is right, and then, when I am ready, there is no amount of time, that’s just when I feel that’s the perfect one. Whether that will be 10 times [spinning the ball], I’d make sure it is 10 times. It is just something that is part of my routine, just like my breathing work is, and I try to stick to that routine as much as possible, and believe in myself in those moments.
Kelly Shines During High Pressure
The 26-year-old is no stranger to high-pressure moments. It was Kelly who scored the extra-time winner in the Euro 2022 final against Germany at Wembley, and she’s quickly become a go-to player in big games for Sarina Wiegman’s squad.
Her unique style developed years ago, while she was playing for Everton, as she revealed.
It is something that just works for me, I can’t explain it too much.
Even after missing a penalty in the semi-final win over Italy, Kelly showed no hesitation in stepping up again.
Sometimes you miss, sometimes you score, but I was adamant I was not missing two on the bounce
And she didn’t. Cool under pressure, completely in her element, Chloe Kelly delivered again, her way.
Mead Had to Repeat Her Penalty Shot
On the other hand, Beth Mead had to retake England’s first penalty in the Euro 2025 final shootout after slipping and unintentionally touching the ball twice, a situation now covered by a new rule.
Her second attempt was saved, briefly handing Spain the edge.
However, goalkeeper Hannah Hampton’s heroics and Chloe Kelly’s calm finish sealed a 3-1 shootout win and back-to-back European titles for the Lionesses unlike the men’s team who lost back to euro finals.
