One of the stars of the World Cup may have thrown it all away in a split-second decision
Lauren James was having a dream World Cup heading into the knockout stage, but her debut on the world’s biggest stage now risks becoming something of a nightmare.
James was perhaps the standout player of the entire group stage, scoring three goals and adding two assists in just three games for England — all of them wins.
The 21-year-old has quickly risen to prominence to mark herself as a star of the global game, but she risks undoing all of her stellar work in Australia and New Zealand after a moment of madness against Nigeria in the round of 16.
Late in the game with the score tied 0-0, James ended up on top of Nigeria’s Michelle Alozie and — for reasons only she will ever know — instead of simply getting off, she clearly and deliberately stood on her opponent’s back.
After a VAR review, England was down to 10 players.
The Lionesses would still manage to overcome Nigeria by the slimmest of margins, winning 4-2 in a penalty shootout after a scoreless draw through 120 minutes. But their path forward without their top attacking player looks murky.
England has enough talent to beat either Jamaica or Colombia in the quarterfinal without the suspended James. But the concern is that she could face an additional sanction due to the blatant nature of her infraction.
“It was a moment that was in a split-second,” England manager Sarina Wiegman said after the game. “It was later in the game so players get a little tired. She is inexperienced on this stage and in a split-second lost her emotions. She would never want to hurt someone, she is the sweetest person I know.”
England’s Rachel Daly added: “She’s a young player – people forget that. They put a lot of pressure on her on the outside.
“It’s a team game, she’s been excellent for us and [we’ll] put an arm round her and help her through it.”
England will now face a nervous wait on the word from FIFA, who could add an additional two games to James’s suspension — ending her World Cup.
[lawrence-related id=25004,23410,18420]
