July 2022: England explodes with joy when Chloe Kelly scores 2–1 against Germany in the European Championship final's extra time.
July 2025: Chloe Kelly makes a success as a substitute in the European Championship playoffs: In the quarterfinals against Sweden, Kelly was substituted in in the 77th minute. Just one minute later, she passed to Lucy Bronze, who reduced to 1–2. Kelly also made the cross that led to Michelle Agyemang's 2–2 equalizer and scored one of the penalties that contributed to Sweden being eliminated.
In the semifinal against Italy, Kelly was also substituted in in the 77th minute and decided in extra time, when she scored a goal on her own penalty kick.
Mental revenge
Now the 27-year-old striker is being hailed in the British media, while hopes are rising that she will get an equally decisive role in the European Championship final against Spain on Sunday, as against Germany three years ago. But for Kelly, this is perhaps just as much a revenge for the autumn's difficulties on the football field, which affected her mentally.
She started the past league season in Manchester City, where Therese Sjögran is sports manager, but did not get a regular place in the team. On January 29, 2025, Kelly wrote a post on Instagram, which showed how bad she was feeling:
"It has an enormous impact, not just on my career but on my mental well-being. I am at a decisive point in my life and my career is important to me. It's a disappointment that the sport we love can make me feel this way."
"Want to be happy"
She continued:
"I'm posting this because I want everyone to be aware that we players devote our lives to our sport and our clubs, but that our dreams can be crushed while we live in silence. In the end, I just want to be happy again.”
A few days after the post, she was loaned out to Arsenal. After a successful spring, Kelly was then selected for England's European Championship team, and it also became clear that she will stay in London.
There is speculation about whether Chloe Kelly and Michelle Agyemang will get to play from the start in the final after their successful substitutions in the quarter and semifinals. Agyemang equalized to 1–1 in the semifinal against Italy before Kelly decided.
Coach Sarina Wiegman is expected to stick to her winning recipe, with strong substitutes, which she also used during the European Championship 2022. Then, substitutes Alessia Russo and Ella Toone meant a lot for England's gold.
