England won without star Lauren James, who was ejected with a red card, to beat Nigeria on penalty kicks Monday and advance to the quarterfinals at the Women’s World Cup.
The round of 16 match ended 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 when substitute forward Chloe Kelly converted the last kick.
England’s Chloe Kelly, right, celebrates after scoring the last goal during a penalty shootout at the Women’s World Cup round of 16 soccer match against Nigeria in Brisbane, Australia, Monday, Aug. 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard).
England became the title favorite after the two-time reigning champion U.S. team was eliminated Sunday in a penalty shootout loss to Sweden. But England struggled to create opportunities against Nigeria’s defence.
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Then with five minutes remaining in regulation, England star forward James was ejected after a VAR review on her violent tackle of a Nigeria defender.
She initially was given a yellow card by referee Melissa Borjas after falling on top of Michelle Alozie and stepping on her with her studs as James climbed off Alozie. The crowd groaned as slow-motion replays on the stadium screens showed the play, and, after a delay of several minutes, the yellow card was 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 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 a left-foot shot minutes from the end of extra time.
After narrowly escaping with a win, England will meet Colombia or Jamaica in Sydney next Saturday in the quarterfinals.
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Nigeria’s players leave the pitch after losing the Women’s World Cup round of 16 soccer match against England in Brisbane, Australia, Monday, Aug. 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard).
“It’s amazing. Anything that’s thrown at us. We’ve shown what we’re capable of,” Kelly said in a post-match TV interview. “We dig deep as a group and we believe in our ability. This team is special. We keep pushing forward — there’s more to come from this special.”
Nigeria coach Randy Waldrum, an American and coach of the University of Pittsburgh’s women’s team, praised Nigeria for going wire-to-wire with one of the best teams in the world.
“I’m so proud of them, to come in and play like we did tonight,” Waldrum said. “We had every opportunity to get it done. Unfortunately, we couldn’t quite get it done. We had the best chances, we hit the crossbar twice. When it gets to penalties, its anyone’s game.”
Uchenna Kanu threatened with two headers in the second half, one two minutes after the break that went just over the crossbar and another in