But now Kelly has a new lease of life and spent the first half against Madrid putting in impeccably timed crosses into the box from the right flank to no avail, begging for a teammate to get on the end of her deliveries. Every time the ball was at her feet, the 22,517-strong crowd (a record for a UEFA women’s club competition quarterfinal in England) was expecting something magical to happen.
Within three minutes of the second half, Kelly had registered two assists after feeding two phenomenal balls to both Russo and Caldentey to put Arsenal 2-0 ahead.
“We played to her strengths today,” Slegers said afterwards. “She came in with a lot of motivation and with a smile on her face and she said: ‘I want to enjoy football. I want to represent Arsenal. I want to do my best for the team.’ I think that’s what she’s done since she came in.”
Since joining Arsenal, Kelly has regained the trust of Wiegman, earning a spot in England’s most recent squad for the upcoming fixtures against Belgium, and that is key as the Lionesses have less than 100 days until their UEFA Women’s European Championship defence campaign begins. With Kelly getting regular minutes for Arsenal and putting in dominant displays alongside England teammate Russo, this could well be the new dynamic duo both club and country need.
With the Gunners now set to face former boss Joe Montemurro when they take on eight-time champions Lyon in the semifinals, Kelly and Russo’s partnership will be in the spotlight as they look to cause a major upset.
