Chastain tells England's Kelly to own her moment after Euro heroics

BENGALURU : Chloe Kelly must own the moment she won England their first major honour at the European Championship and not settle for anything less than she deserves when opportunities present themselves, World Cup winner Brandi Chastain told Reuters.

Kelly channelled Chastain when she took off her shirt after scoring in last Sunday's 2-1 win over Germany, with the iconic moment praised by the retired U.S. player who did the same after her decisive penalty in the 1999 World Cup final against China.

Chastain tweeted to Kelly after the match saying she should enjoy all the "free rounds of pints and dinners" that come her way, before reminding her of the magnitude of her achievement.

"I said in a separate note to her that this will be with you for the rest of your life and whatever it is, the story is yours only you can tell it... you're the owner of it," Chastain said in an interview.

"Remain humble and remember you know what it took to get there. We've both had serious knee injuries, we've been on and off the team and back, so we've shared similar experiences."

Chastain, who played nearly 200 matches for the U.S. between 1988-2004 winning two World Cups and two Olympic gold medals, said she told Kelly to always remember her worth.

"It's very important that when people come to her with opportunities that she expresses her value and does not take less because she's a woman," the 54-year-old said.

"People will try that and obviously, some 23 years ago it was much harder to say, 'No, I'm worth more' and for people to believe it. But now it's undeniable."

BREAKING MYTHS

Chastain said the images of herself and Kelly celebrating in sports bras had broken some myths about women, with both of them celebrated for their capability rather than