Women's World Cup: England battle to victory against Nigeria

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England 0 - 0 Nigeria

England won 4-2 on penalties

Despite a red card from Lauren James, England made it to the quarterfinals of the Women's World Cup.

England beat Nigeria on penalties - 1

Georgia Stanway fired wide with the opening penalty but Nigeria missed their next two efforts and the European champions secured their spot in the last eight when Chloe Kelly smashed in the winning kick.

After losing possession, James stamped on Michelle Alozie's back in the 87th minute and was rightfully shown a red card by the video assistant referee (VAR).

England were given an almighty scare but face Colombia or Jamaica next on Saturday.

England stumble over the line but ultimately succeed

England stumbled to the end of normal time lacking the fluidity they showed in abundance in the impressive display against China and held on to seal the deal in a shootout.

Only 24 hours earlier, back-to-back champions the USA were knocked out of the competition, and England were forced to show resilience to overcome arguably the most challenging match of Wiegman's tenure.

Ultimately. it was the familiar sight of Kelly, who had previously scored the winning penalty in the shootout victory over Brazil in the Women's Finalissima and scored the Euro 2022 winner against Germany - who ran away celebrating at the end.

You can watch the highlights of the match in the video below. HIGHLIGHTS - England v Nigeria - 2023 Women's World Cup - YouTube

What are people saying about this dramatic match?

John Thomas told us on Facebook "You'd have to say that Nigeria were the better side. The red card for Lauren James red means she could miss the rest of the tournament. Overall, that was a big scare for Sarina Wiegman's side. However, England's experience showed in the shootout"

Frankie added on the same platform: "Nigeria boasts an impressive team. Their play exhibited remarkable liberation, enabling their front trio to launch attacks. The exchanges between the wide players posed challenges for England, as the fluidity was tough to counter. I find solace in the fact that we navigated through that situation, as I genuinely questioned where our goals would originate from."

Rebecca added her thoughts: "There's something truly exceptional about this team. The players demonstrated their prowess during the Euros and the Finalissima. Their relentless drive is evident, and it's reasonable to anticipate better performances from them going forward."

Some previous match reports from the Women's World Cup

Sweden 0 - 0 USA (Sweden won 5-4 on penalties)

Women's World Cup: Sweden shock USA (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com)

China 1 - 6 England

Women's World Cup: England thrash China (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com)

England 1 - 0 Denmark

Women's World Cup: England narrowly beat Denmark (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com)

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