England’s Lucy Bronze reveals she went straight to Lauren James after Women’s World Cup red card
England defender Lucy Bronze has revealed she went straight to the dressing room to see Lauren James after the Lionesses’ dramatic penalty shootout win over Nigeria at the Women’s World Cup.
James, 21, was shown a red card in the 87th minute of Monday’s last-16 victory after lashing out at defender Michelle Alozie and stepping on her back.
England Survive World Cup Scare
England were forced to play extra time with only 10 players but defended stubbornly before winning the shootout 4-2 with Chloe Kelly striking an emphatic final spot-kick to set up a quarter-final clash against either Colombia or Jamaica.
James will definitely be suspended for that match, while she could also miss a potential semi-final and final if her sending off is deemed to be violent conduct – which carries a three-match ban.
Bronze Consoles James
Bronze, who helped form part of England’s depleted but dogged rearguard, says her young team-mate is understandably upset but she did her best to console James in the dressing room straight after the match.
Speaking to reporters afterwards, the Barcelona star said: ‘Obviously she’s going to be disappointed in herself. I went straight off the pitch after the game to make sure she was OK.
‘Obviously she was a little bit upset and rightfully so and more than anything she just feels bad for the team. I said to her, “We’ve made it through. It’s a team, it’s not just one player.”’
James’ Absence a Blow
James has been England’s best player Down Under and racked up three goals and three assists in the group stages despite not starting the first match.
Bronze admits her absence will be a massive blow but is more concerned about making sure her young team-mate is okay.
‘Although LJ is the youngest in the team, she’s had to mature from a young age because she’s been thrown into the spotlight, whether that’s to do with her brother [Reece James] and her family, or that she’s a fantastic player on her own,’ continued Bronze.
‘In the last game, everyone put the spotlight on her. She deals with it very, very well. She likes hanging around with the older players, myself, Jordan [Nobbs], Alex Greenwood, we are the three that she comes to asking for advice.
‘LJ didn’t start the first game, she didn’t feature at all during the Euros.
‘She’s a massively talented player. We all know that and obviously we’re very disappointed to lose a player of her calibre going into the next game. No one’s going to be more disappointed than LJ. It’s important to support her.’
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