England were seconds away from going home. Losing 1-0 to Italy in the Euro 2025 semi-finals, the Lionesses needed a hero. Up stepped Chloe Kelly, raising her arms as she prepared to deliver an inswinging corner from the left. But as the England fans behind the goal prayed for a moment of inspiration, it was immediately clear that something was wrong: Kelly dragged her cross straight out of play. It landed, horribly, into the side-netting.
“Obviously it wasn’t the plan,” Kelly grimaced. Neither was it the plan to miss a penalty with the chance to send England through to the Euro 2025 final, but Kelly’s response to both the failed corner and saved spot-kick remained the same. “The reaction is as important as the action,” Kelly explained. “For me, it was important to not dwell on the moment.” Instead, she followed up her penalty miss by scoring the rebound, telling everyone to “chill” as they lost their minds.
