Chloe Kelly praises ‘incredible’ Hannah Hampton as Lionesses book semi-final spot | OneFootball

Lionesses forward Chloe Kelly praised England’s togetherness following a chaotic quarter-final victory over Sweden at Women’s Euro 2025.

England bounced back from a 2-0 deficit to drag an eventful quarter-final all the way to penalties, before sliding past Sweden to secure their spot in the tournament’s semi-finals.

Despite the resilience on display from the entire England squad, it was goalkeeper Hannah Hampton who stole the show with her shootout heroics from between the goalposts. Kelly, who orchestrated the comeback with two assists after coming on in the 78th minute, praised ‘class’ Hampton.

“We showed tonight what we are capable of, and Hannah [Hampton] was unbelievable,” Kelly said.

“She is unreal. I told her, you only need one nostril girl! She’s incredible, she took one in the face and then bounced back. To do that in a penalty shootout is class.”

England were far from their best in the opening half, conceding in under two minutes as Sweden captain Kosovare Asllani got the opposition off the mark early.

But, the Lionesses managed to turn the tide on a questionable display, securing their sixth consecutive semi-final at a major tournament. Kelly’s impact was instrumental in the success, setting up Lucy Bronze and Michelle Agyemang for England’s two goals in 103 seconds.

“It was chaotic to play in,” Kelly said. It just shows the resilience of this group, that whatever we face, we overcome. It just shows the importance of that belief.

“I tried to impact the game as best I could and play to my strengths, which is obviously crossing the ball. I tried my best to do so, and I’m glad we got back into the game and got it over the line.

“This team is incredible and we showed real togetherness tonight, and hopefully moving forward that is something that we can put in our back pocket to learn from.

“I think it’s incredible. The squad as a whole, the staff as a whole, it’s incredible. We’ve got a real togetherness in the group and that just showed tonight.”

Despite the fact that England were heading toward a quarter-final exit right up until the 78th minute, the Arsenal forward said she remained calm and full of belief.

“I actually don’t ever worry,” Kelly added. “We have so much belief in our team. Sweden are a great side and we know that, but I think we have so much quality in the squad that I feel belief. Players may say different, but that’s my thoughts.

“The penalty shootout didn’t go as planned, but we got through it and that’s what it is all about. It’s a performance that we can put in our pocket and we learn from.

“There are players tonight that stepped up for a penalty that may not have before, so it’s a learning experience and we’re through.”