Nerves in tatters across the nation, a sold out stadium stifling, and yet Chloe Kelly appeared unfathomably calm and collected as she walked up to the penalty spot. The 27-year-old had been there, done that, got the T-shirt and then swiftly torn it off as euphoria spilled throughout Wembley Stadium in 2022, and the winger knew all too well that her spot-kick could clinch England consecutive European titles at the expense of rivals Spain. While other players would have crumbled at the sheer weight of expectation on their shoulders, Kelly’s routine of spinning the ball to her desired repetition and then hop, jump and fire, seemingly a newly crowned version of hop, skip and a jump, worked to emphatic effect after her previous wavering. The lights in Kelly’s neon sign of spot-kick specialist had flickered in the semi-finals as the forward’s strike was denied by Italy’s Laura Giuliani, before the player’s bright reflexes allowed her to pounce and tap the ball home on the rebound. 

With Kelly this time firing her penalty high into the net past Spain’s Cata Coll, the player that wheeled away to celebrate was not that of the wildly ecstatic matchwinner of three years prior but instead of sheer coolness. No Bobby Zamora celebration of 2022, nor Thierry Henry against Italy, this time Kelly was her own hero as she again signalled calm to the anything-but-calm England crowd behind the goal. “I knew I was going to hit the back of the net” were the words Kelly defiantly said to BBC Sport after the full-time whistle. “I don’t miss penalties twice” were some of the others. 

This strong sense of self-belief not only radiated from the 27-year-old throughout an uncertain period in her club career, with Kelly exchanging Manchester City for Arsenal in a plea for game time, but is a microcosm for that of the Lionesses’ wider confidence in the face of adversity. While an opening 2-1 defeat to France raised unforeseen questions from fans and journalists alike, the 23-player squad appeared to have an unwavering sense of confidence in realising their European dream once again. After lifting the Euros trophy in Basel, Lucy Bronze told ITV: “it’s an amazing achievement for us, we never doubted ourselves” and England captain Leah Williamson echoed, “After that first game no one thought we would (win it), come on. And fair enough, but within us nothing changed.” In spite of Williamson and winger Beth Mead having their penalty kicks saved by Coll, impressive strikes from Alex Greenwood, Niamh Charles and Kelly were sufficient in bringing football home again.

Hannah Hampton produced her goalkeeping heroics just as she had done in the quarter-final shootout against Sweden, denying Champions League victor Mariona Caldentey and Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmatí, as Spain’s Salma Paralluelo fired wide. A national reputation of never winning on penalties is something the Lionesses do not align themselves with, following two shootout victories across just three knockout matches this summer. 

The players had also shown a real grit to their performances, dragging themselves from the depths of despair with just minutes remaining to find an equaliser against Sweden and Italy. England had found themselves facing the exact same task in the final, a 24th-minute header from Spain’s Caldentey the only goal to separate the sides. It was lively substitute Kelly who orchestrated her nation’s second-half breakthrough, her cross met by a looping Alessia Russo header which arced past Coll. 

Extra time only forced the Lionesses to dig deeper, their defending seemingly proving sufficient in distracting Spain from snatching a winner. While substitute striker Salma Paralluelo fumbled the opportunity to get a touch on Ona Batlle’s pacy cross and Claudia Pina directed her shot narrowly wide of the bottom right, England capitalised on their opponent’s disappointment by producing one final and emphatic response as they claimed the 3-2 victory on penalties.

Sarina Wiegman’s class of 2025 had truly defied expectations by narrowly succeeding in the ultimate task of a title defence. With 13 players from the 2022 Euros winning squad once again being selected, the other ten players chosen were that of mostly young talents making their major tournament debuts. While concerns were raised as to whether Hampton could fill the shoes – or rather take to the gloves – of England’s beloved Mary Earps, the goalkeeper proved herself as a more than worthy successor with several outstanding performances. Another star was also born in the form of Michelle Agyemang. Elected over her then Brighton teammate Nikita Parris to complete the 23-player squad, the teenager stole headlines as she clinched late equalisers against Sweden and Italy. England’s saviour two times over, and perhaps a predestined affair: the name Agyemang translating to saviour of a nation in Ghanaian, of which Agyemang descends.

While the 19-year-old striker’s unexpected flourish on the European stage was much welcomed, a retirement from Fran Kirby a month before the tournament’s start saw reservations arise from fans. Ella Toone, however, stepped up admirably in the midfielder’s absence following a challenging season due to the passing of her late father last September. England just seemed to have an answer for every question posed to them by the press and online, and even without their captain Millie Bright who had opted to remain on home turf to prioritise her mental and physical wellbeing. 

It was Jess Carter and Williamson who instead proved the centre-back pairing in Switzerland, with Carter producing a superb display in the final after being replaced by Esme Morgan against Italy. This meant highly talented defenders Lotte Wubben-Moy and Maya Le Tissier remained on the bench throughout the six matches, truly paying testament to England’s squad depth. While some saw a mismatched jigsaw of which the pieces were competing against time to slot into place, the clock only acted as motivation to the Lionesses: a catalyst for the team to begin clicking, both with their feet and their fingers. Following a 119th-minute winner against Italy to secure England’s spot in the final, Williamson brought back her beloved slogan in an ITV interview. “The English are never done, never ever” and they really did prove just so. Kelly also echoed, “we’re English, you can’t write us off” and don’t worry Chloe, after this tournament we most certainly will not.