August 7 – A Girls’s World Cup of seismic shocks so practically produced one other in the present day when European champions England got an almighty scare earlier than edging out a far superior Nigeria crew on penalties.
Taking part in the final three minutes of regular time and the entire of additional time with 10 gamers following the dismissal of Lauren James for a blatant stamp, England held their nerve to win 4-2 on spot kicks after a goalless attract Brisbane to squeeze into the quarterfinals.
Sarina Wiegmann’s crew will understand how fortunate they have been after Nigeria missed the possibility to win a knockout match on the event for the primary time in 9 makes an attempt and grow to be the primary African facet to win any knockout sport at a ladies’s World Cup. They hit the woodwork twice, had 18 makes an attempt in all and had what appeared like a transparent penalty late on not even thought of by the referee.
With Germany, Brazil, Canada and defending champions the US all having been eradicated, the draw had opened up for England. However they so practically went the identical approach.
It was a far cry from the 6-1 thrashing of China of their last group sport and whoever England play subsequent, they should up their sport and achieve this with out James, one of many event’s rising stars who misplaced her head by putting her studs on Michelle Alozie as she climbed off the Nigerian participant after each had fallen to the bottom.
An preliminary yellow card was upgraded to pink and James now dangers being banned for the remainder of the event in what was an analogous show of petulance to David Beckham kicking out at Argentina’s Diego Simeone on the 1998 males’s World Cup in France.
Nigeria coach Randy Waldrum, American coach of the College of Pittsburgh’s ladies’s crew, praised his facet – ranked 40 on the planet – for going face to face with the European champions.
“I’m so pleased with them, to return in and play like we did tonight,” Waldrum mentioned. “We had each alternative to get it completed. Sadly, we couldn’t fairly get it completed. We had one of the best possibilities, we hit the crossbar twice. When it will get to penalties, it’s anybody’s sport.”
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