England’s women’s national football team, known as the Lionesses, has advanced to the quarter-finals of the Women’s World Cup after defeating Nigeria’s Super Falcons in a penalty shootout during the round of 16 match held at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia.
The game was fiercely contested by both teams, with the regular time ending in a 0-0 draw. The deadlock persisted through extra time as well.
In a surprising turn of events, England’s Lauren James was shown a red card and subsequently sent off from the game for stomping on Nigeria’s Michelle Alozie’s back. This incident left England with 10 players on the field as extra time began.
Despite the Lionesses applying pressure on the Super Falcons throughout the game, Nigeria’s goalkeeper and team captain, Chiamaka Nnadozie, delivered outstanding goalkeeping performances to keep her team in the match.
With neither team able to secure a goal during the extended time, the match was decided by a penalty shootout. England emerged victorious, winning 4-2 in the shootout. England missed their first penalty but successfully converted the following four attempts, while Nigeria missed two out of their four penalties.
The win propels England into the quarter-finals, where they will face the winner of the upcoming match between Jamaica and Colombia. However, Lauren James will be sidelined for the next two matches due to her red card.