Chloe Kelly has stressed the importance of England not getting carried away after Monday’s historic 8-0 thrashing of Norway
The Euros hosts pulled off the competition’s biggest ever win as they blew away the Norwegians at the Amex Stadium in their second group game and secured a place in the quarter-finals.
Next up the Lionesses wrap up their group fixtures by playing Northern Ireland, who cannot reach the last eight, at St Mary’s on Friday, before returning to Brighton five days later to face either Spain or Denmark for a spot in the semis.
Winger Kelly said: “I think everyone’s in a positive mood, the vibe in the camp is really good and looking forward to Friday now.
“Everyone was absolutely buzzing (after the match on Monday), it was nice to see our families in the crowd as well and share that moment with them. But we focus on Friday now and we can’t get too carried away.”
Boss Sarina Wiegman had spoken in the aftermath of the Norway game about England staying “grounded” and that was echoed by Kelly.
She added: “It is about staying grounded, not getting too carried away with an 8-0 win, with one result. It doesn’t define us in this tournament. We just need to focus on the next game and prepare right for that.”
After opening their campaign with a 1-0 win over Austria at Old Trafford last week, England gave a clear demonstration of their attacking potency on Monday as they took their unbeaten record under Wiegman to 93 goals scored in 16 matches.
Kelly has emphasised that the team “want to be ruthless in front of goal every game, no matter what the opposition”.
The 24-year-old Manchester City player made Wiegman’s Euros squad after recovering from an ACL injury to return to action in April and has come off the bench in both of England’s group games so far.
“The freedom that we have (under Wiegman) is brilliant and I think that shows when we are going forward,” Kelly said.
“It is exciting to watch and from the bench it is really exciting seeing the forwards just play free and enjoying themselves in the final third.
“I think that is when the quality is so good, when you have that no pressure. It’s just – go and enjoy yourself, and create and score.”
Asked about the possibility of rotation on Friday and her hopes of making a start, Kelly said: “I think it’s just we’re all fighting for a place, we all have to train well.
“On the training pitch the quality is brilliant so far this tournament and I think the players that haven’t got a chance on the pitch yet, we all bring quality onto the training pitch, which I think lifts the group as well.
“I think we all have to be ready for the moment, and training is competitive, which helps come game day.”
Lotte Wubben-Moy was back in training on Wednesday following her absence after testing positive for coronavirus.
The Football Association has also announced Wubben-Moy’s fellow defender Demi Stokes will not be involved in the Northern Ireland match because of a “minor knee injury”, adding that the full-back “will follow an individual programme in the coming days to aid her preparation for next Wednesday’s quarter-final”.
