Nigeria’s Ashleigh Plumptre , left, and England’s Lauren Hemp vie for the ball during the Women’s World Cup round of 16 soccer match between England and Nigeria in Brisbane, Australia, Monday, Aug. 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)
England were pushed to penalties by Nigeria in the round of 16 at the ongoing FIFA WWC down under, but the European champion won the shootout 4-2, missing only one attempt.
The English women’s team edged out Nigeria in the round of 16 match at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 on penalties despite star player Lauren James seeing red.
The knockout fixture finished 0-0 after regulation and extra time, giving Nigeria a chance to win a knockout match at the Women’s World Cup for the first time in nine trips to the global tournament.
But European champion England won the shootout 4-2, missing only one attempt.
England will meet Colombia or Jamaica in Sydney next Saturday in the quarterfinals.
ALSO READ| Transfer News Live, August 7: Harry Kane Says His Goodbye to Fans, Kylian Mbappe Drama Continues
England became the title favourite after the defending champion U.S. team was eliminated Sunday in a penalty shootout loss to Sweden. But England struggled to create opportunities against Nigeria’s defense.
Matters were made worse for England five minutes from regulation time when star forward James was ejected, after a VAR review, for violent conduct after stomping on a Nigeria defender.
She initially was shown a yellow card by referee Melissa Borjas after falling on top of Michelle Alozie and stepping on her with her studs after getting back to her feet. The crowd groaned as slow-motion replays were shown on the stadium screens and, after a delay of several minutes, the yellow card was cancelled and replaced with a red card.
British media instantly reacted by comparing it with David Beckham’s red card for kicking out at Argentina’s Diego Simeone at the 1998 World Cup in France. The red card means James will miss at least one game, and possibly the rest of the tournament.
The Lionesses immediately had to change formation in the 10-on-11 scenario, bringing on Chloe Kelly to play a solo role up front.
Alozie was clear eight minutes into stoppage time but couldn’t control a left-foot shot from seven yards and skewed it wide of the post.
Veteran forward Asisat Oshoala forced a save from England goalkeeper Mary Earps when she spun and fired left-foot shot minutes from the end of extra time.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – Associated Press)
