ENGLAND GOAL HERO Chloe Kelly says she was living the dream after firing her country to Euro 2022 glory.
Kelly – who has grandfathers from from Dublin and Omagh – came off the bench to score a 110th-minute winner and give the Lionesses a 2-1 win against Germany in the final at Wembley.
After Ella Toone’s opener had been cancelled out in normal time by Lina Magull, the Manchester City forward poked home from close range to spark euphoric scenes at the national stadium as England went on to win a major tournament for the first time.
Kelly was more interested in singing Sweet Caroline than answering questions in her flash TV interview, but did say this was her dream growing up.
“Oh my God, look at them, it is amazing, thank you to every single person that supported us,” she said on the BBC, indicating the crowd in the background. “This is unreal… Sweet Caroline!
“It’s amazing, thank you everyone, this is what dreams are made of, as a young girl watching women’s football. Wow, this is unbelievable.”
Kelly’s story is made even more memorable by the fact that she only came back from a serious cruciate ligament injury in April.
She added: “Thank you for everyone who played a part in my rehab. I always believed I’d be here, but to be here and score the winner, wow. These girls are amazing.
“This is amazing, I just want to celebrate now.”
England’s maiden success has been masterminded by Sarina Wiegman, who has now won back-to-back European Championships after her 2017 success with the Netherlands.
The Dutchwoman said: “We won the cup. It is unbelievable. It is incredible.
“If you really want to win and become better every single day, that is what I have noticed, and it is incredible, they want to do it together.
“We agreed on a couple of things about behaviour and they weren’t just words, we lived it. The game was so tight, there was a little bit of fight in there, but who cares, we won 2-1. We are European champions.
“We broke through barriers against Spain and we had to do it again. I don’t have any secrets. I don’t think I have realised what is going on, I need some time.”
