England beat Nigeria on penalties to reach Women’s World Cup quarter-finals

Outplayed, outclassed but somehow, somehow, not out. Lauren James’s sending-off in the 85th minute for stepping on Michelle Alozie as her opponent lay on the floor was symptomatic of a frustrated England, who scraped past a tactically superior and better organised Nigeria on penalties to progress to the World Cup quarter-finals.

Randy Waldrum’s Nigeria, ranked 40th in the world, 36 places below England, looked as if they would claim the latest big scalp and knock out the European champions after the eliminations of Brazil, Canada, Germany and the USA. However, after Georgia Stanway’s missed penalty in the shootout, England scored four as Nigeria floundered, missing their first two spot-kicks to allow the substitute Chloe Kelly to thunder in the winner again.

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Mouths were agape on the announcement of England’s starting lineup, the return of Keira Walsh appearing miraculous 10 days after she left the pitch on a stretcher in agony. Walsh’s World Cup obituaries were written; she was England’s most valuable player, irreplaceable. Despite confirmation that she had not sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury, hopes of a World Cup return were low.

Walsh’s return had people quietly wondering whether there was room for Barcelona’s Champions League winner – not because she is any less important than she was, but because the collective that cracked China, winning 6-1 in a new formation, was so cohesive. Here England stuck with a back three and Katie Zelem returned to the bench.

Nigeria posed a very different threat, their transitional game promising the first real test of England’s backline and their defensive organisation stifling and frustrating.

Nigeria had done their homework and were well organised. Halimatu Ayinde was exceptional in her marking of James, who had scored twice and provided three assists as she ran the show against China. Ayinde was more than James’s shadow; stalking her every move, she dominated her. James, so good with the ball at her feet, able to dribble and trick her way out of the smallest of spaces, could not keep the ball, such was the speed with which Ayinde snapped it away. It gnawed at James, her irritation evident in the occasional desperate burst free of her marker.

England started brightly but there were also signs of how Nigeria had beaten Australia and drawn with the Olympic champions Canada on their way to escaping the group. After 13 minutes Toni Payne’s outswinging corner was met by the full-back Alozie, whose thumping header from 12 yards was headed away by Alessia Russo in the six-yard box. A few minutes later the players in green threatened again, Alex Greenwood putting her head on the line to make a clearance that fell to out-of-contract Ashleigh Plumptre, who fired an impressive strike off the underside of the bar before forcing a save from Mary Earps moments later.

England had chances, but they felt fleeting. Russo latched on to an error by the defender Oluwatosin Demehin and found herself clean through but Chiamaka Nnadozie, well off her line, dived low and blocked the shot. The wing-back Rachel Daly smashed a volley goalwards from a cleared corner, but it was straight at Nnadozie.

England were playing deep, too deep, and Walsh seemed to be operating as a single pivot in a system that didn’t suit it, almost in the way of the driving runs seen from Millie Bright against China, where Stanway and Zelem had allowed her to power out between them. With Walsh deep and James marked out of the game, England’s midfield was reduced to one, Stanway.

Just past the half-hour, England were awarded a penalty after Rasheedat Ajibade bumped Daly in the back. However, after a VAR review, the referee Melissa Borjas revised her decision. That felt harsh but Daly’s fall appeared exaggerated – a similar incident when Lucy Bronze knocked into Alozie in the box went unpunished.

Before the interval an Alibade strike ricocheted off the back of Bright after Ifeoma Onumonu’s cutback. Then in added time Uchenna Kanu smacked a header off the top of the bar.

The second half was much like the first. Nigeria had scored only three goals in three games, all against Australia, but they had also kept two clean sheets and their defensive organisation continued to frustrate England immensely. They were also the more threatening side.

There was calamity with five minutes remaining, when James boiled over and stood on the back of Alozie, who had dispossessed her and was face-down on the ground. The Chelsea player received a yellow card, but it was overturned after a VAR review and instead James was rightly dismissed – an instant one-match ban will likely become more after review.

England reformed, this time with Kelly at the head of a 4-4-1, and rode out the final few minutes to force extra time. Nigeria pushed to make the most of their advantage, but they looked exhausted and England’s defensive trio of Bright, Jess Carter and Greenwood were superb. Penalties beckoned.

Stanway was up first and smashed her effort wide to the keeper’s right. There was no retaking this one; after her saved spot-kick against Haiti she got a second chance because the keeper had been off her line. Her blushes were spared though, as Bethany England, Greenwood, Daly and then Kelly, the scorer of the winner in the Euros final and the decisive penalty in the Finalissima, delivered. Desire Oparanozie mirrored Stanway’s wide effort and Alozie skied Nigeria’s second before Ajibade’s finally hit the back of the net for Nigeria and Ucheibe’s effort went in.

It was ugly and gritty from England, one of the most heavily invested-in sides in the world, and hugely impressive from a Nigeria team battling their federation just to get paid. England have work to do, and they have to do it without James.