Lauren James of England steps on Michelle Alozie of Nigeria during a round-of-16 match Monday in Brisbane, Australia. James received a red card, and was handed a two-game suspension Thursday. Darren England/AAP Image via AP
SYDNEY — England midfielder Lauren James was handed a two-match ban Thursday following her red card against Nigeria in the round of 16 at the Women’s World Cup.
James was red-carded for violent conduct after standing on Nigeria defender Michelle Alozie.
She will miss the quarterfinal against Colombia in Sydney on Saturday, and a possible game in the semifinals.
James has been one of the stars of the tournament, scoring three goals and providing three more assists as England advanced as Group D winner.
NETHERLANDS FORWARD Lineth Beerensteyn is happy to admit her first reaction on learning the United States had been knocked out of the Women’s World Cup was “bye!”
It was raw and spontaneous relief, coupled with a little schadenfreude. The joy over someone else’s demise was, perhaps, understandable.
The U.S. and Netherlands played out a tight 1-1 draw during the group stage in Wellington, where the Dutch will meet Spain on Friday in the quarterfinals. The group-stage match was a repeat of the 2019 final, when the United States beat Netherlands 2-0.
Beerensteyn played in that final, which in part may explain her relief that she won’t have to play the United States again at this tournament. The Americans lost in a penalty shootout to Sweden after their round-of-16 game ended in a draw.
“From the first moment I heard they were out, I was just like ‘Yes! Bye!’” Beerensteyn said Thursday. “From the start of the tournament they … were already talking about the final.
“I was thinking, ‘You first have to show it on the pitch before you talk.’”
The Dutch forward said she didn’t mean to be rude in her observations.
“I still have a lot of respect for them, but now they’re out of the tournament,” she said. “For me it’s a relief, and for them it’s something they will have to take with them in the future.”
Beerensteyn and her Dutch teammates go into the quarterfinal in good form.
Apart from the draw with the United States, Netherlands beat Portugal 1-0 and Vietnam 7-0 in group play and South Africa 2-0 in the round of 16.
Friday’s match features a head-to-head matchup in midfield between Jill Roord for the Netherlands and Aitana Bonmati for Spain. Both play in central midfield and are goal creators as well as scorers.
Bonmati has contributed three goals and two assists for Spain so far. Roord has four goals, one behind tournament leader Hinata Miyazawa of Japan. Against South Africa, Roord regained possession eight times and won four tackles in the middle of the field.
Bonmati has stepped up as a leader for Spain as injury continues to curb the influence of Alexia Putellas, the two-time Ballon d’Or winner.
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