In the Women’s World Cup, England beat Nigeria 4-2 on penalties in Brisbane, Australia, to advance to the quarter-finals.
It was striker Chloe Kelly who enchanted England fans as she kicked the winning spot past Nigeria’s goalkeeper Nnadozie.
With Lauren James making her mark on Michelle Alozie of late, 120 minutes of football weren’t enough to separate the two teams, who couldn’t get out of a stalemate despite England’s drop to 10 players.
England’s first penalty shooter, Georgia Stanway, did little to calm her country’s nerves when she fired outside the post. However, fatigue was taking its toll on both groups of players. Nigeria missed two efforts after the 12-yard spot.
England were the title favourites, after the champion USA team were eliminated in a penalty shootout against Sweden on Sunday.
However, the Lionesses struggled to create opportunities against Nigeria’s solid defense and were weak for most of the game.
Things got worse for England five minutes after star striker James was dismissed for violent behavior after VAR review after crushing a Nigerian defender.
He will now miss England’s quarter-final draw and could potentially face a longer ban.
England will face Colombia or Jamaica in the quarter-finals next Saturday in Sydney.