England reached the quarter-finals of the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ after beating Nigeria in a penalty shootout following a 0-0 draw at Brisbane Stadium.
The Lionesses had Lauren James sent off late on in normal time but saw out extra time before prevailing in a tense shootout as Chloe Kelly sent her team through to a meeting with Colombia or Jamaica.
Nigeria came close to taking the lead when Ashleigh Plumptre’s left-footed shot from the edge of the area crashed off the bar and she then saw Mary Earps save a follow-up effort after England had failed to clear.
The Lionesses thought they were going to have a chance from the penalty spot just after the half-hour mark following Rasheedat Ajibade’s challenge on Rachel Daly but the referee changed her decision following a VAR review.
Uchenna Kanu headed wide from a corner in the second half before Nigeria goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie produced a fine reaction save to keep out the unmarked Daly’s header from a corner.
James was sent off with three minutes remaining following a VAR review after standing on Michelle Alozie as she got up following a tussle between the two.
Extra time failed to produce a goal before Kelly scored the decisive penalty in the shootout after Nigeria had failed to hit the target with their first two spot-kicks.
It was a hard-fought victory for England, who had to dig deep after James’ red card. However, they showed their resilience and character to come through and reach the last eight of the tournament.
