England, down to 10 men due to a red card, defeated Nigeria on penalties to advance to the quarterfinals of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia-New Zealand 2023.
England won 4-2 on penalties after playing to a 0-0 draw through 90 minutes and extra time in the round of 16 at Brisbane Stadium in Australia on Sunday.
With the win, England finished first in Group D (3 wins, 9 points) and advanced to the quarterfinals with a win over Nigeria.
England will play the winner of the Colombia-Jamaica quarterfinal at Stadium Australia in Sydney on June 12.
England, ranked No. 4 in the FIFA rankings, has reached the quarterfinals of six previous tournaments, all of which have ended in the quarterfinals or better. They finished third at the 2015 tournament, their highest-ever finish, and fourth at the 2019 tournament.
They are also the 2022 Women’s European Championship champions.
Nigeria, ranked 40th in the FIFA rankings, reached the round of 16 after finishing second in Group B (W1 D1 L6) behind hosts Australia (W2 D5 L5).
They performed well against England, but had to settle for a second consecutive round of 16 appearance following the World Cup in France four years ago.
England were not expected to dominate the game. England took the initiative, but Nigeria also used their pace to launch some sharp counterattacks.
To make matters worse, England were reduced to 10 men when Lauren James was sent off in the 32nd minute.
The two teams were unable to find a winner after 90 minutes of play, sending the match into extra time.
However, the balance remained unchanged in overtime. Nigeria used their numerical advantage to knock on the door of the English goal, but it didn’t open easily.
The fate of both teams was decided in the penalty shootout.
England got off to a shaky start with a miss from their first kicker, Georgia Stanway, but a succession of kicks from Beth England in the second and Chloe Kelly in the fifth secured the win.
Nigeria were unable to overcome misses from their first and second kickers and were eliminated.
Hosts Australia advanced to the quarterfinals with a 2-0 win over Denmark.
The Socceroos, who finished first in Group B (2W1D – 6 points), are making their first quarterfinal appearance in eight years since the 2015 tournament.
The Socceroos will play the winner of the France-Morocco match on Wednesday in Brisbane for a spot in the semifinals.
Denmark, who qualified for the Women’s World Cup for the first time in 16 years, ended the tournament in the Round of 16.
Australia opened the scoring with a goal from Caitlin Fuld in the 22nd minute of the first half and a goal from Haley Laso in the 25th minute of the second half. 안전놀이터