Chloe Kelly, with a powerful right-footed shot, secured a penalty shootout victory for England over Nigeria in the 2023 Women’s World Cup Round of 16 in Brisbane, Australia. The match took place at Suncorp Stadium and concluded with a 4-2 edge for England in the shootout after a goalless regulation and extra time. Despite playing with just 10 players due to a red card, England showed resilience and determination as a team.
Speaking on the Fox broadcast, Kelly expressed her excitement, stating, “It’s amazing. Anything that’s thrown at us, we show what we’re capable of. We dug deep as a group, we believe in our ability, and we believe in what we’re being told to do.” England, ranked 4th, will now face either Colombia or Jamaica, as they progress to the quarterfinals.
While Nigeria had more shots on goal with 18 attempts compared to England’s 12, they struggled to find the target and only managed to test the England goalkeeper twice. Additionally, Nigeria had greater possession with 41% in a physically challenging match.
In the 16th minute, Nigeria came close to taking the lead when left back Ashleigh Plumptre’s 20-yard attempt hit the crossbar. Plumptre had a follow-up opportunity, but England’s goalkeeper Mary Earps denied her shot. In the 23rd minute, a defensive error by Nigeria’s fullback Oluwatosin Demehin allowed England forward Alessia Russo to have a shot, but it was saved by Nigeria’s goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie.
The match continued with both teams exchanging close attempts but failing to convert. In the 84th minute, England’s Lauren James received a yellow card for a foul on Nigeria’s Michelle Alozie. However, after reviewing the footage, James was shown a red card for stomping on Alozie’s foot, resulting in her ejection from the game.
Despite two halves of extra time, England remained resilient and did not concede a goal. The penalty shootout saw both teams miss their respective first attempts, with England’s Georgia Stanway hitting wide left and Nigeria’s Desire Oparanozie also missing wide left. Both teams then found the back of the net with their subsequent penalties, until Chloe Kelly stepped up and sealed the victory for England with her final shot.
The next Round of 16 matches will see Colombia take on Jamaica in Melbourne at 4 a.m. EDT on Tuesday and France face Morocco in Adelaide at 7 a.m. on Monday.
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