As the football world was consumed by the chaos of yet another penalty shootout in the World Cup, one particular star received praise for her actions immediately following the winning goal. England emerged victorious over Nigeria in a thrilling shootout after a goalless 120 minutes of play on Monday night. This came just one day after the USA suffered a similar fate in their shootout against Sweden, also ending their round of 16 match without a goal.
England had a close call and secured their spot in the quarter finals when Chloe Kelly fired her penalty kick into the top left corner to secure the shootout win on Monday. However, instead of celebrating with her teammates, Kelly quickly turned back when she noticed Nigerian goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie lying on the ground, devastated by Kelly’s decisive goal.
Nnadozie had just been defeated by Kelly’s kick, which ultimately knocked Nigeria out of the tournament after they had convincingly beaten the Matildas in Brisbane to advance through the group stage. As Kelly comforted Nnadozie, a cameraman attempted to capture the emotional scene up close, but the England star firmly waved them away.
This small act of kindness resonated with viewers, as football writer Charlotte Patterson praised Kelly on Twitter, saying, “Huge respect to Chloe Kelly for not really celebrating and going straight over to console Nnadozie, as well as telling the cameras to get lost.”.
Kelly, 25, spoke about the victory but did not mention her gesture towards the rival goalkeeper. Instead, she focused on the strength of her team, stating, “This team is special. It is amazing, anything that is thrown at us, we show what we are capable of. We dig deep as a group, we believe in our ability, and we believe in what we are being told to do.”
England’s next quarter-final match will be against either Colombia or Jamaica, and they will potentially face Australia in the following round if both teams emerge victorious on Saturday.
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Hasibur Rahaman is a passionate sports journalist. He covers everything from cricket to field hockey, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis of sporting events, both within India and on the international stage.
