Chloe Kelly has been praised for her actions after sending England through to the World Cup quarter-finals with a perfect penalty on Monday.The 25-year-old, who scored the winning goal for England in the Euro 2022 final against Germany and the winning spot-kick in the 2023 Women’s Finalissima against Brazil, showed nerves of steel once more at the end of a dramatic Round of 16 clash at the Brisbane Stadium.England were reduced to 10 when Lauren James received a needless red card for walking on the back of Michelle Alozie after a free-kick didn’t go her way.The deadlock remained unbroken after 120 minutes and the knockout round tie was subsequently decided on penalties.Georgia Stanway stepped up first and missed her spot-kick, but the midfielder was dealt a reprieve as Nigeria missed their next two penalties.Beth England, Rachel Daly and Alex Greenwood all converted from the spot, which left Kelly with the opportunity to fire England through to the last eight.The Manchester City forward took the opportunity with both hands, firing an unstoppable penalty into the top corner of the net past Nigeria goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie.
Video: Chloe Kelly's perfect penalty vs Nigeria
Watch Kelly’s inch-perfect penalty here:
According to the Daily Mail, Kelly's penalty was clocked at a mind-blowing 111km/h - which was actually faster than any Premier League goal last season.
It beat last season's Premier League top speed set by West Ham's Said Benrahma, whose fastest strike registered at 107.2km per-hour.
What did Chloe Kelly do next?
Kelly then showed her class by immediately going over to the distraught Nnadozie and consoling her.
As the TV cameras swarmed to get a clearer view of Nnadozie, Kelly waved them away.
Inside she was thrilled to have sent England through to the next round of the Women’s World Cup, but her main concern in that moment was her opponent. Class.
Watch the footage here:
What did Chloe Kelly say after the match?
Speaking to BBC Sport after the match, Kelly said: “It’s amazing. Anything that’s thrown at us, we show what we’re capable of.
“We dig deep as a group and we believe in our ability. First and foremost, we believe in what we’re getting told to do.”
Asked if England had been practising penalties prior to the match, Kelly continued: “We’ve been practicing a lot, actually - and it’s working.
“For me, it’s I’m going to score - that’s how I look at it. Once I win that mental battle, we’re good.”
And she was quick to point out that it was a team effort again against Nigeria, despite the fact she scored the winning penalty.
Kelly added: “It’s the team. This team’s special. We did it in the Euros, we did it in the Finalissima, and we’re here again tonight and doing it. We keep pushing forward, there’s more to come from this special team.”
Who do England play next - and can they win the World Cup?
England, who won all three of their Group D matches, will face the winners of Tuesday’s Round of 16 clash between Colombia and Jamaica in Sydney on August 12.
Following their narrow victory over Nigeria, England are the bookmakers’ favourites to win the tournament, followed by Spain, Japan, and France.
However, Kelly and her England teammates certainly won’t allow themselves to think that far ahead just yet.
