‘A really special memory’ - Fran Kirby reflects on stunning strike as England sail through to Euros quarter-finals

Fran Kirby’s spectacular effort from outside the penalty area helped England to a 5-0 win over an already-eliminated Northern Ireland side, as the Lionesses concluded their group stage fixtures in style. An Alessia Russo brace off the bench, a goal from Beth Mead, and a Kelsie Burrows own goal helped England maintain their 100% record at the tournament, but it was Kirby’s stunning effort which stole the show.

Ad/> Speaking after the match, Kirby expressed her delight at the result.. Euro 2022Katoto forced to withdraw from Euros due to knee injury10 HOURS AGO “Yeah, overall really happy with the result and the win, we wanted to make sure we had a positive start today and we did that,” she said.

“Even though the goal didn’t come straight away, I felt we had a really aggressive start from the off and overall we’re really, really happy with the win.” Kirby broke the deadlock with a stunning effort from outside the penalty box in the 40th minute to give the Lionesses the lead, and called it a “special” moment. “Yeah I mean it never changes scoring in a major tournament, luckily for me I’ve been able to score in every tournament I've played for England so far, so that’s a really special memory for me now,” she explained.