England’s heroic penalty takers saved Lauren James from sporting ignominy

There was no one more relieved in Brisbane this morning than England’s Lauren James, writes Jim White. The star player’s petulant red card was redolent of David Beckham’s in 1998, the difference being this time, luckily, her team won

Red mist leads to a red card. Lauren James is very lucky England went on to win the match (FIFA via Getty Images)

That sound, that deep sigh of relief, you could almost hear echoing round the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane when Chloe Kelly’s penalty smacked into the back of the Nigerian net, sending England through to the Quarter-final of the Women’s World Cup, can surely have only had one source...

It came not from the watching England supporters, who had seen the favourites deliver their least impressive performance of the tournament thus far, nor did it emanate from the dugout where the ever-calm coach Sarina Wiegman managed to maintain her dignity, even in the most demanding of circumstance. No, it would have come from Lauren James, temporarily ensconced in the dressing room.

Obliged to watch it all unfold from where she had been dispatched after receiving a red card for a maddeningly irresponsible stamp on her opponent Michelle Alozie, you can only imagine how she must have felt as the shootout got under way. It was probably as well no camera was there to intrude on her turmoil.