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England will be without star midfielder Lauren James for their FIFA Women’s World Cup quarterfinal after she was sent off during the Lionesses’ dramatic penalty shootout win over Nigeria.
Frustration got the better of England’s top scorer as the clock ticked towards 90 minutes during normal time at Brisbane Stadium on Monday night.
The midfielder was shown a red card after stamping on Nigeria defender Michelle Alozie during an 85th-minute brain explosion and will now miss the quarterfinals after incurring an automatic suspension.
Matt Roberts/Getty Images
England midfielder Lauren James stamps on Michelle Alozie during their World Cup knockout match.
Despite her early exit, the European champions held on to beat Nigeria 4-2 on penalties after Beth England, Rachel Daly, Alex Greenwood and Chloe Kelly converted four of England’s five spot-kicks.
James and Alozie tangled while competing for the ball, and the England player appeared annoyed she was not awarded a foul, gesturing her hands in direction of referee Melissa Borjas.
After she got up, James planted her right foot onto her opponent’s back.
James was originally only shown a yellow card by referee Borjas, but it was upgraded to a red card for violent conduct following VAR intervention, leaving England to see out the game with only 10 women.
The incident brought back memories of former England star David Beckham’s infamous red card against Argentina in the round of 16 at the 1998 men’s World Cup.
Beckham lashed out at Argentina captain Diego Simeone after he had been shoved to the ground.
James’s absence will be a big blow. The 21-year-old talent was one of the top performers during the group stage, scoring goals and registering three assists to lead England to a first-place finish in group D.
England will meet Colombia or Jamaica in Sydney next Saturday in the quarterfinals.
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