ENGLAND will face the Super Falcons of Nigeria in the round of 16 of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup after the Lionesses defeated China 6-1 in their final Group D fixture today.
Chelsea forward Lauren James, 21, was the star of the game in Adelaide, Australia, scoring twice and making three assists to become the youngest player in the tournament’s history to be directly involved in five goals in one match.
The European champions emerged as the winners of Group D with nine points, while former heavyweights China finished a disappointing third and crashed out.
James helped England get off to the perfect start when she set up Arsenal star Alessia Russo for the opening goal in the fourth minute, and assisted Lauren Hemp 22 minutes later to make it 2-0.
The younger sister of England men’s international Reece James then struck a first-time shot from the edge of the box to make it 3-0 in the 41st minute before another stunning finish was ruled out by Video Assistant Referee (VAR) for offside in the build-up.
England conceded their first goal of the tournament 12 minutes after the restart when Shuang Wang scored from the penalty spot after VAR detected a handball by defender Lucy Bronze.
But James still had more to offer as she volleyed Jess Carter’s deep cross past China goalkeeper Yu Zhu for England’s fourth goal in the 65th minute, before substitute Chloe Kelly and striker Rachel Daly added two late strikes to complete the rout.
European champions England, who had scored only two goals in their first two games before today’s goalfest, will battle nine-time African champions Nigeria in their round of 16 fixture on Monday in Brisbane, Australia.
The clash of the European champions and Africa’s most successful team will kick off at 8.30am Nigerian time.
In the other Group D game today, Denmark defeated Haiti 2-0 to finish second and set up a round of 16 tie with co-hosts Australia.
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