“Do you know that she is playing for Arsenal? This is also. And that? Yes, it is. ”
This was the focus of many conversations during the European Women’s Championship 2025, which concluded with England’s victory over Spain with a penalty shootout in an exciting final last Sunday. The decisive kick recorded, as you might expect, Chloe Kelly … Arsenal player, according to The Athletic.
Steena Blackstinius was an indescribable joy for the Arsenal fans, when she scored the winning goal in the Ladies Champions League at the Barcelona net last May.
Just two months later, the same player returned to the recovery room with two goals in favor of Sweden in the quarter -finals, just 25 minutes later.
But who saved the situation at the time? Yes, she is Michelle Ajmang, the talented young attack that entered the bench and scored the equalizer, after reducing the difference with a goal from Lucy Bronz after a cross from Kelly in the 79th minute.
Among three successful penalty kicks for England at that meeting, two by Arsenal’s players were recorded: Alicia Rousseau and Kelly.
England climbed to the semi -finals, perhaps with the help of some luck, but the most prominent credit for Arsenal sparkle was clear.
In the semi -finals, England was again late, this time with a goal against Italy, so the coach, Sarina Vigman, again resorted to players from the red and white part of the north London.
The first switch came with Beth Meed’s entry instead of Lauren James due to the injury, but the decisive changes were in the second half, with Ajmang and Kelly descending. While England was on the threshold of the exit, Ajmang showed a large composure and hit the ball into the net to revive hopes again.
Then the decisive moment came when Kelly fired a penalty in the extra time, she bounced off the guard, but she returned and completed her inside the nets Arsenal saves the situation … again.
As for the Spain national team, it included seven players from Barcelona, two from Real Madrid, a player from the American club Gotham, and another from Arsenal. As you might expect, the first goal in the final was, of course, Mariona Caldineti … Arsenal player.
When Kelly and Roso succeeded in equalizing the result during the second half, the satirical comparisons began to refer to the title of the famous British newspaper “The Mirror”: “Arsenal wins the World Cup” in 1998, when Vieira and Betty scored France’s goals against Brazil.
At the end of the match, and after a 1-1 draw in the additional runs, three players from Arsenal – Beth Meed, crown prince Williamson, and Mariona Calinetti failed to carry out penalties. However, the fact that Kelly was the one who recorded the decisive kick made the end more symbolic.
Last year, it was full of “moments of rotating doors” for Kelly and its club Arsenal.
The 27 -year -old was about to “take a break from football” before joining Arsenal loaned from Manchester City in January. Only one match in the league started during the first half of the 2024-2025 season, and her relationship with her former club was tense of accusing City of “attempting to assassinate her personality.”
Meanwhile, Arsenal was also suffering, as the team achieved only one victory in the first four league games, before heavy loss 4-1 against Chelsea in October, which ended their hopes in competing for the title, and toppled coach Jonas Edgal. Although the club was able to sign a new coach from outside the system, he chose to upgrade development coach Rene Slegron, who proved her success later.
It can be said that Arsenal is currently stronger than ever in the modern era of the women’s game. He is the European champion, and will play all his women’s Premier League matches at Emirates Stadium next season. The club has already sold 15,000 seasonal tickets, in addition to a six -game package.
The club also continued to win the Champions League, breaking the world record in women’s football transfers by contracting with Olivia Smith from Liverpool for a million pounds.
One of the current transfer market goals was to increase competition for basic centers. The presence of a strong bench was a decisive factor in Chelsea winning the league title for six consecutive seasons, and the gap in this aspect is a must to compete.
Kelly’s installation was permanently an essential part of this project, along with the inclusion of two of the best Liverpool players: Taylor Hends and Olivia Smith.
At the individual level, the European Championship showed the quality of the squad under the leadership of Slegraz. Ajmang, who won the award for the best young player in the championship, may not be a guarantor of a basic place with Arsenal in the new season 2025-2026, due to the abundance of attackers. It competes directly with Rousseau and Blastinius, while Kelly, Samith, Mid, and Australian international Kaitlin Ford represent strong options on the parties.
Arsenal will have to make the optimal decision to develop Ajmang. Two seasons ago, she played a double loan system with Watford, and scored a goal against Arsenal in the Federation Cup. As for last season, he fought with Brighton, and Eddal said at the time that playing “highly competitive minutes” was “extremely important” for its development.
Arsenal maintains a strong relationship with Brighton, and this season is expected to lend Rosa Kavagy, the creative midfielder who was signed with Hakkin Al -Suwaidi last summer. Brighton is seen as a good environment for its development, with the belief that it is a pillar of the future of Arsenal and is not just a long -term loaning deal.
Arsenal’s ambitions are not limited to the field. The club has hosted a growing number of women’s matches at the Emirates Stadium since England won the “Euro 2022”, which contributed to the expansion of the team’s mass base.
The players were received with a warm welcome upon their return from Lisbon after the sudden victory over Barcelona, while the streets of the Haybry area surrounding the chants and car trumpets were burned to celebrate England crowning the European title again. This public support is expected to continue in the new season.
It is true that the team did not culminate in the league title for six years, but Arsenal players recently showed their ability to seize the major moments, whether at the continent level or in international forums.
Now … it is time to prove it locally.
