"This is what dreams are made of," Chloe Kelly insisted as she just about regained her composure to conduct a post-match interview after what was undoubtedly the biggest game of her life to date.
Television viewers could barely make out what England's woman of the hour was saying, such was the volume levels inside Wembley Stadium. It really was a sight to behold, more than 87,000 fans packed inside under the iconic arch to cheer on England's Lionesses - inspiring them to their first ever major tournament success.
It was a cagey, hard-fought contest against Germany, a nation that have enjoyed such dominance in the European Championships having won the competition eight times in their history. It was Germany who battered England 6-2 in the final of the same tournament 13 years ago.
But this was a different England team, one that carried the burden of hope and expectation on their backs and barely broke stride. If Ella Toone's opener sparked wild celebrations, Kelly's close-range winner in the 110th minute triggered absolute pandemonium - the sight of a beaming Kelly, shirt in hand sprinting towards the touchline will live long in the memory of all who witnessed it.
Indeed, that iconic moment is understood to have been a nod to her hero Brandi Chastain, the American who performed a similar celebration after scoring the winner at the 1999 World Cup. “I see you,” Chastain tweeted to Kelly following her heroics. She added: "Well done. Enjoy the free rounds of pints and dinners for the rest of your life from all of England. Cheers!"
Kelly has since revealed that the inspiration behind her celebration was former QPR striker Bobby Zamora, whose winner in the 2014 Championship play-off final secured promotion to the Premier League. She told TalkSport: “I said to my family this morning, imagine we get a Bobby Zamora moment and it’s me… and now it’s happened!"
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For Kelly herself, the goal and subsequent celebrations marked the moment her struggle to the top of the game became worth it. England's match-winner certainly knows a thing or two about struggle.
The youngest of seven siblings, including five brothers, Kelly's first taste of football came on the streets of west London. It was an avenue to the top the Manchester City star herself conceded was anything but simple.
"If they had made it easy, then I probably wouldn't be here," she told BBC Sport in 2019. "Where I lived we had two bumps in the road so we'd play 'bump to bump' football," said Kelly. "We made what we could of it. It was basically street football without any rules. I think I'm quite a skilful player and I got that from playing street football.
Kelly's career started at the club she supported in Queens Park Rangers, but she was soon spotted by those running things over at Arsenal in 2015. However, things failed to materialise as expected with the Gunners and Kelly joined Everton on a permanent deal just two years later.
While Kelly's first England call-up came while she was still a Toffees player, it wasn't until she joined Manchester City that things really started to gather momentum.
Featuring in the PFA Women's Super League team of the year as a City player, Kelly notched 10 goals inside her opening 20 games in the iconic sky blue shirt. However, at the tail-end of her debut season - disaster struck, with England's new golden girl suffering a serious anterior cruciate ligament injury that prompted a lengthy spell on the side-lines.
She was ruled out of action until the latter stages of the following season, with Kelly making just five appearances for City last season. Therefore, it makes her impact on the international stage all the more impressive.
Prior to Sunday evening's showpiece event, Kelly had only scored one other goal for England. The forward sure knows how to pick her moments, but such is the 24-year-old's confidence her match-winning effort should hardly come as a surprise to those who have followed her journey.
As mentioned, Kelly is no stranger to adversity and no ACL injury was going to stand between her and glory on the biggest stage of all. "I always had my goal on the Euros, so that would get you through each day," she admitted earlier this year.
"It was tough but I knew that what I was putting into the recovery, that I would see benefits from it." Kelly's former Everton coach Wilie Kirk once claimed the Lionesses star could be best described as " fire and ice" due to her explosive temperament mixed with a calmness and composure that defies her years.
Both were on display against Germany, but at the most vital moment - when Wembley held it's breath as the ball presented itself inside the six-yard box, it was Kelly's cool head that prevailed to prod home beyond opposition shot-stopper Merle Frohms.
Long gone are the days England's latest heroine would take the 92 bus from Ealing to Wembley to pick up a programme on FA Cup final day, often without a ticket so she couldn't even get into the ground - the same ground that played venue to the moment she etched her name into English football history.
"My time will come when I'm ready," Kelly insisted. A woman of unwavering confidence, she was rewarded on the biggest stage of all.
From bus journeys to the home of football as a child, to bringing football home as a professional in front of a record crowd of 87,000 in attendance - Kelly serves as an inspiration to every other young girl keen on picking up a pair of boots.
