On Monday, England defeated Nigeria in a penalty shootout in Brisbane to advance to the Women's World Cup quarterfinals.
James was sent off in the 87th minute for stepping on Michelle Alozie's back, but 10-player England held on to force a shootout.
England won 4-2 on penalties after Georgia Stanway missed the first penalty. Chloe Kelly, the Lionesses' great moment, hit the roof of the net to seal the win.
After the Euro 2022 final, Kelly told the BBC, "We’ve been practicing [penalties] a lot actually, and yeah, it’s working." “Once I win that mental battle, we’re good,” he said.
Nigeria had chances to beat the European champion, but the Lionesses battled in extra time. England did precisely that during halftime of extra time, when Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer" blared.
England was already behind before James' red card, and Nigeria will consider this as a squandered opportunity to win a World Cup quarterfinal game.
Michelle Alozie and Desire Oparanozie's penalty misses were costly. “Life is unfair and football is sometimes unfair,” Nigerian forward Rasheedat Ajibade told CNN after the game.
England fans in Brisbane were optimistic of a comfortable win before the game, but nerves took control as the game neared its end.