Women’s World Cup LIVE: Latest scores as England learn quarter-final opponent

Anita Asante, via Radio 5 Live: “I’m really disappointed. One act has kind of tarnished all the good work that Lauren James has done up until this point. She is a superstar and hopefully she will grow from this experience.”

Alex Scott, on BBC One: “When you are having that frustration it is about controlling it. It is having that maturity and experience on this world stage, which she will get.”

Fara Williams: “It wasn’t aggressive, it was violent (conduct) but it was silly and immature. I think it is one of those moments when she hasn’t even thought about it. She’s given her a little touch thinking she could get away with it.”

England’s players will rally round Lauren James after her “Beckhamesque moment of madness” in the team’s penalty shoot-out victory over Nigeria in the World Cup last 16.

Former men’s national team striker Gary Lineker likened the 21-year-old Chelsea forward’s red card for petulantly standing on Michelle Alozie as she lay on the floor to Beckham’s kick-out at Argentina’s Diego Simeone at the 1998 World Cup.

However, while the former Manchester United star’s sending-off contributed to the team’s difficulties, Sarina Wiegman’s side have progressed to the quarter-finals.

Criticism of James, receiving the side’s first red card since Millie Bright’s dismissal in the World Cup semi-final defeat to the United States in 2019, has been well short of what Beckham received and team-mate Lauren Hemp said she would receive the full support of the squad.

“It’s things that happen in football, it’s not nice to see a red card but I felt like going down to 10 players we dealt with it very well, we were super-resilient and didn’t let them score,” Hemp told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“It’s one of those things. We will get around Lauren James in the coming days, she’s still very young.”

“When Sarina Wiegman saw Lauren James after her red card against Nigeria, the first thing the manager said to her was ‘it happens’. There was absolutely no castigation, a stance made easier by the player’s immediate apology and the fact England got through.

“It has made the squad’s World Cup that bit more complicated, though, not least because of the curious regulation that James may not even know her full punishment until after the quarter-final. It is a definite one-game ban until Fifa’s disciplinary committee review the moment, which isn’t certain to happen before Saturday.

“One thing that probably is certain is that, for all the obvious comparisons, this was never going to be a David Beckham 1998 or Wayne Rooney 2006. That isn’t just because England won on penalties. We are a long way from “10 Heroic Lions, One Stupid Boy”, particularly when it comes to women’s football.

“One of the most common responses after the game – beyond the question of what James was actually doing – was that she should be protected from the pitchforks that Rooney and Beckham faced.”

That is a good thing, writes Miguel Delaney

The quarter-final stage of the Women’s World Cup is taking shape but there are still two more last-16 ties to play.

Match 56: Colombia vs Jamaica (09:00, Melbourne) – ITV 1

Match 55: France vs Morocco (12:00, Adelaide) – BBC One

QF1: Spain vs Netherlands (02:00, Wellington)

QF2: Japan vs Sweden (08:30, Auckland)

QF3: Australia vs (France / Morocco) (08:00, Brisbane)

QF4: England vs (Colombia / Jamaica) (11:30, Sydney)

Nigeria suffered the heartbreak of a penalty shootout loss to England in their Women’s World Cup last 16 fixture in Brisbane on Monday, but there is plenty of evidence this is a team on the rise if they are allowed to continue to develop.

Through the competition they made a mockery of their world ranking of 40 with a blend of pace, power and organisation.

“They’ve been fantastic the whole tournament,” coach Randy Waldrum told reporters after the England loss. “I said to them after the match we’ve not lost a game realistically (outright).

“We’ve played against the Olympic gold medallists (Canada), the European champions and we kept a clean sheet in both of those games. We played the host nation (Australia) and Ireland, who are in the top 20, and we didn’t lose.

“I hope people have seen that there is talent there and that we have the ability, and with a little structure and a little organisation, and a commitment to provide the resources that we need, hopefully people see that we can be a major player on the world stage.”

Nigeria forward Ifeoma Onumonu criticised a lack of support from the country’s football federation after the Super Falcons were knocked out of the Women’s World Cup by England on penalties, revealing that players sometimes have to share beds at their training base back home due to insufficient resources.

Nigeria were eliminated from the World Cup after a heartbreaking penalty shoot-out defeat to the Lionesses but were the better team in large spells against the European champions, who held on to a goalless draw following Lauren James’ red card late in normal time.

Nigeria’s build-up to the World Cup was disrupted by a pay dispute, with the team’s American manager Randy Waldrum revealing before the tournament that some players had not been paid in two years by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

Onumonu went further after the defeat to the Lionesses and said that although Nigeria could take pride from competing against one of the best teams in the world, the Super Falcons were being held back by a lack of resources compared to their European counterparts.

Australia captain Sam Kerr said finally getting onto the pitch at her home Women’s World Cup on Monday was a relief, but conceded that her team mates had probably not needed her contribution to reach the quarter-finals.

Kerr has spent much of Australia’s first four matches recovering from a calf injury sustained on the eve of their opener but finally made her tournament bow with the Matildas already 2-0 up against Denmark in their last 16 clash.

The 75,784 fans crammed into the stadium built for the 2000 Olympics rose as one to greet the entry of the world class striker as a substitute in the 78th minute.

“Me coming on, personally, it was big relief after a big three weeks,” she said. “It was amazing. Obviously it’s a big game for us. Bit nerve-racking. I’m not the best bench player in the world, I was nervous.

“The girls smashed it. They’ve done unbelievable this week. To put in that performance after a big game is amazing.”

Incredibly, there was another level of noise for the crowd of over 75,000 at the Olympic Stadium to reach. The loudest roar of the night came when Australia were already through. Leading Denmark by two goals, the Women’s World Cup and its co-hosts got the moment they had been waiting for. Sam Kerr, the face of the tournament, had finally arrived.

Ruled out of the group stages due to injury, Kerr got her first minutes of the World Cup as the Matildas stood with one foot already in the quarter-finals. With the game won and Denmark well beaten, Kerr’s touches were inconsequential; that her only shot from the angle flashed over the bar did not matter. But Australia have their star back, the final piece for a team who are delivering for their country and are growing with the competition.

Kerr’s introduction came moments after Hayley Raso had sent the home crowd into a frenzy, doubling Australia’s lead with a crisp finish from another clinical counter-attack. The crowd in Sydney had been electric when Australia attacked, a rolling wave of noise that grew from Caitlin Foord’s sublime opening goal. Nothing, though, could compare to the welcome Kerr received and what it represented for a team who are starting to believe they are contenders again.

Report from Australia 2-0 Denmark at Stadium Australia

There wasn’t to be any tearing off of shirts in jubilation on this occasion but England‘s footballing history has a new Chloe Kelly routine that will seize space in highlight reels for years to come. Kelly hadn’t been entrusted with a starting role but knew she had the chance to steal the show – and as she skipped towards the penalty spot in the shootout, it was clear she was going to do just that.

Chiamaka Nnadozie guessed correctly but didn’t stand a chance. Kelly pranced with the chance to rescue her nation’s hopes from tatters and unleashed a rocket.

And while her actions may not have won England a trophy this time around it didn’t feel too dissimilar.

By Adam Millington in Brisbane

Sarina Wiegman: “I’m really proud of the team. We’ve had many setbacks. I think this (James red card) was a big one too.

“We had to reorganise and do something else on the pitch and we didn’t need any minute to do so.

“And of course players got really, really tired, but we really stuck together and showed a lot of resilience.”