A creepy tranquility descends into the LTOFTRAST stadium while Chloe Kelly walks into the penalty kick to take the fifth Spot kick from England against Sweden.
The chaos of the previous 120 minutes have frayed the nerves to their last tendons, and now, with one miskick from a boot, the ruling champions could be packed.
But with a huff and a trait and a huge step, the 27-year-old from West-London keeps the euro dreams of England alive.
Kelly has only taken nine penalties in her club and international career and scored seven. All three of her English penalties have arrived in shootouts and she never missed the target.
Now, with the prospect of a new shootout looming, Mail Sport spoke with penalty expert Geir Jordet – Professor at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences and author of print: lessons from the psychology of the penalty shootout – to understand what Kelly gives the lead.
It goes beyond power, although its 69 MPH rocket on the World Cup 2023 – faster than any Premier League fine that season – still lingers in the memory.
Jordet noticed how Wiegman's side followed routines, such as those of Gareth Southgate's team that worked in great success last summer. From the organization of the pre-shootout Huddle to Wiegman's short instructions, the lionesses were clearly well drilled.
“There were many things they did that were an indication that they had a plan,” says Jordet. “So I was surprised to see those four players who missed (Lauren James, Beth Mead, Alex Greenwood, Grace Clinton), their body language indicated that they would rather do it quickly and get it instead of having a very robust focus on the step -by -step behavior that leads to the shot.”
A player who followed the process was Kelly who performed for one of the highest printing kicks in the game.
“I like how she is approaching the place,” says Jordet. “The goalkeeper was interaction with the referee and Chloe just waited outside. When Falk got on the line, then Chloe moved and took 10 seconds to deal with the place.
'First she investigated it with her feet and then struck the ball on the grass. I don't know the goal of that, but she took her time. That shows a player in control.
'Then she places the ball carefully, steps up and gets over to think:' Okay, do I have to take a step back? The keeper is ready '
'The whistle of the referee goes back. She doesn't let her distract.
“When she walked back, you saw her smiling. Usually when I see a penalty towel smiling, I think, “This is not a good sign.” Players often pretend to be in order, which means that they are focused on calm resignation instead of the shot itself.
“But that wasn't the case with Kelly's smile. It was a real response to Falk. At that moment she seemed really relaxed.
'She takes her walk back and is almost five seconds. The last thing she does before she starts her characteristic run -up is to breathe deep.
'Then comes the initiation (run -up). I am not a biomechanics, but I admire the psychological aspect – it is so different and so unique. I don't think I've seen someone, male or female, doing something like that. The courage to do that under pressure is admirable.
“Finally, the kick. She has a powerful shot to the left of her, with pace and precision. But this time she bent her foot and turned it to the right. The Swedish keeper went in the wrong direction.
'No one else in the shootout did that. It seems that she misled the keeper at the last minute. If that is the case – and it's hard to say for sure – then her technique is exceptional. '
It turns out that her smile was indeed a real reaction to the goalkeeper. And that ability to stay calm, even find humor, at the most intense moments is what Kelly distinguishes.
She recently admitted that she still holds her 110th minute winner against Germany in the final of 2022 again-“If I ever need a little smile.”
Hidden under her socks, Kelly Shinpads is printed with a photo of herself and her husband Scott Moore – a former Everton -Bondsman she met while playing – on their wedding day next to their dogs. A small personal memory of at home, even in the most tensable moments.
Relaxing the field-so relaxing that she is known to take a two-hour nap on MatchDay-Ze becomes a tense gun, ready to fire when her song flashes green.
It has been a turbulent season for Kelly, whose place in the Euro team was seriously in danger in February. A breakdown in relation to Manchester City manager Gareth Taylor and an impasse about contract discussions left her on the couch the season.
Her fall-out with City turned into a very public row, where she accused the club of 'killing my character' and contributed to a deterioration of her mental health. Taylor, who was fired by the club in March, claimed that Kelly was simply omitted for selection reasons.
Then, in January, a loan movement to Arsenal offered a lifeline. After he fell through Wiegman, Kelly forced the Dutch coach's hand after playing a crucial role in the Gunners' Run to the Champions League final. Her revival culminated at a starting point in the final against Barcelona – and a gold medal on her neck. Three weeks ago she made the switch to Arsenal permanent.
With regard to this tournament, Kelly started every match of the bank as one of Wiegman's 'Finishers', and there is even an argument that this is where she is most effective.
Her teammate Esme Morgan hinted in the aftermath of the victory to Sweden and said, “She seems to thrive at those moments when the team needs her to get a performance out of the bag.”
And time and time again, when England fails on the edge, Kelly is the one who withdraws.