Chloe Kelly joins top table of England greats with second winner in Euros final | Sophie Downey | OneFootball

To score the goal that wins your nation a European Championship once is memorable. To do it twice is legendary. Chloe Kelly has written herself into the history books once again as she fired home the penalty to secure back-to-back titles for England, the Lionesses becoming the first England team to lift a trophy away from home.

There was no iconic celebration this time but a smile, a point at the England fans behind the goal and a roar of unbridled joy as she was smothered by teammates. It was symbolic of the difference between 2022 and now – the jubilance of the moment that propelled the Lionesses to the top of Europe at Wembley versus the calm, mature group that have battled, dug in deep and constantly found a way to get themselves over the line.

As Kelly made the long walk up to the penalty spot with the weight of a nation on her shoulders, there was really very little doubt about the outcome. Lucy Bronze on the touchline was telling her team to calm down, a series of hand gestures that signalled to everyone that she knew her teammate had it under control. Two steps over the ball, a little smile, a fiddle with her ponytail and then the infamous hop before burying her strike high past Cata Coll.

The 27-year-old forward has an aura about her, an unbridled self-confidence that she can make an impact no matter the circumstances and no matter the time she has to do it. It is the reason why there was little panic when Lauren James was forced off with her troublesome ankle injury in the first half. Many teams would have fallen apart at the sight of one of their key creative players having to depart early. England adjusted seamlessly as Kelly entered to pose a completely different threat for Spain’s backline.

With Lauren Hemp playing on the right – presumably to cover for Bronze’s attacking instincts and to test Olga Carmona with her speed – England’s left side had looked slightly impotent early on with James clearly struggling. It enabled Ona Batlle to link up well with Athenea del Castillo, a combination that led to Spain’s opening goal.

The introduction of Kelly presented the previously comfortable duo of Batlle and Irene Paredes on the right of the Spain defence with a conundrum.

The winger’s direct running and pace immediately caused problems as England began to grow into the game. It was little surprise that she was central to the Lionesses’ second-half equaliser, a sweeping move out to the left for her to deliver pinpoint on to the head of Alessia Russo, who had made a defence‑splitting run to drift in her effort at the near post.

It has been a rollercoaster season for Kelly. The difference between September and now could not be starker after she found herself out of favour with Gareth Taylor at Manchester City. Her limited game time there left her England spot under threat and her on the verge of quitting the sport. When she reflects on it, forcing a deadline-day loan to Arsenal will be one of the biggest decisions of her career, one that revived her love of the game and her ability to put herself back in Sarina Wiegman’s thinking for this summer. How it has paid dividends.

In the past two months Kelly has added a Champions League winner’s medal to her trophy cabinet and she is now a two-time European champion. Despite finding herself starting from the bench in the past four weeks, she has made her impact in the decisive moments across the tournament.

In the quarter-final against Sweden, she came on to set up Bronze’s goal and send in the ball that led to Michelle Agyemang’s equaliser before stepping up to keep England in the shootout with another trademark penalty. Against Italy, she transformed proceedings again: she may have seen her extra-time penalty saved by Laura Giuliani but her instincts to react the quickest and make the rebound illustrated everything she is about as a player.

It is a role that Kelly clearly relishes. After the Sweden comeback, she told the media: “It was to just try and impact the game. We needed a little change and a little bit of energy. We work hard in training to take our moments and that is what the substitutes did.”

England’s strength in depth has been a key reason for getting them over the line in their run to this title. Their never-say-die attitude and their inability to give up on what seems to others like a lost cause have made headlines. No one epitomises this more than Kelly, the energetic, bubbly girl from London whose steely drive and self-belief have driven her to the pinnacle of the sport.

This will be a night for the memory book. One that proves, not just to her but to the whole world, that she has what it takes to be the gamechanger and history maker on any given occasion.

Header image: [Photograph: Denis Balibouse/Reuters]