England v Nigeria
England made their way to the quarter-finals following a nerve wracking penalty shoot out, finishing as a 4-2 win for the Lionesses. Nigeria contained England, taking them into extra time. Following a red card, England found themselves with ten players nearing the extra time period.
England will face the winner of Colombia v Jamaica in the quarter final stages. Sarina Wiegman’s side will be without Lauren James for at least their next match due to the red card she received during this game.
Tactical Analysis: England
Sarina Wiegman stayed with the 3-4-1-2 formation which proved to be a successful tactical change for England in their 6-1 win over China in the final game of Group D. One change saw defensive midfielder Keira Walsh make a return to the squad after injury, replacing Katie Zelem.
Keira Walsh’s return to the defensive midfield position strengthened England’s defensive base. Her technical ability on the ball created opportunities for England to attack, delivering balls to her teammates across the pitch.
A back three allowed England to play with wingbacks, using Rachel Daly on the left and Lucy Bronze on the right. This gave England the opportunity to make full usage of both players’ defensive abilities, particularly against a physically strong Nigeria team, whilst using both to pose a threat in attack. Lucy Bronze’s position is a key part of England’s attack, with her finding space to receive the ball, delivering balls into the box and finding herself in the box when crosses and movements reach Nigeria’s penalty area.
Lauren James remained in the central midfield position, however was often marked out of the first half in a heavily dominated Nigerian central area. In corner kick set pieces, they used her one touch shooting ability, with her remaining on the edge of the box and recycling the ball on deflection.
England faced great threat from Nigeria throughout the first half, often having defenders making key blocks in front of goal. Jess Carter and Millie Bright made many important blocks in front of goal, stopping any chance of Nigeria scoring. Moving into the second half, England gained a new momentum to their gameplay, opting to play the ball quicker and pose more of a threat on attack using quick movement of the ball. The pace that England have in their forward players gives England the ability to change the tempo and create quick attacks into the box.
England lacked a strong attacking threat throughout the match, unable to find a solution to find the net. They proved to be dangerous to the Nigeria defence throughout the match, but were missing elements in their gameplay that could pose a strong threat. Nigeria’s solid formation when marking allowed them to mark Lauren James heavily, lessening the danger she could create, with two or more players closing her down. The strong defensive set up made it difficult for the forward players to make it into the box, with Alessia Russo and Lauren Hemp having two to three players surrounding them when they were in possession of the ball.
Following Lauren James’ red card, Alessia Russo made way for Chloe Kelly who joined Lauren Hemp on the attack. Chloe Kelly played up front, with Lauren Hemp and Georgia Stanway playing behind her. Chloe Kelly found it hard to find space, with three players surrounding her to get the ball. Missing a player, England tried to get as many players into attack as possible, with Rachel Daly coming more central. Jess Carter moved to left back, allowing Rachel Daly to move centrally and Keira Walsh filtered into the backline when called upon to strengthen England’s defence.
Hanging on with ten players, England searched for a solution in attack. Bethany England replaced Lauren Hemp, moving into the centre forward position. She tried to press the Nigerian backline and prove to be a threat, but found difficulty in doing so due to less support in midfield and Nigeria’s defensive set up.
In a final chance on goal, England won a free kick and brought Millie Bright in front of goal in an attempt to find that winning goal. Headed by Bethany England and an outstretched effort by Millie Bright, they were unable to find the winning goal. Preparing for penalties, England brought on Katie Zelem, a regular penalty taker for her club, however she was not used in the shoot out.
Penalty Order
- Georgia Stanway – wide
- Bethany England – goal
- Rachel Daly – goal
- Alex Greenwood – goal
- Chloe Kelly – goal
Key Players: England
- Alex Greenwood
Alex Greenwood had the best performance of the defensive line, making many key interventions and defensive movements to close down Nigeria attack. She brought stability and calmness to the defence, helping England remain level with Nigeria. She scored a penalty in the shoot out which helped England secure their win over NIgeria
- Keira Walsh
Returning from injury, Keira Walsh slotted into England’s new formation. Her technical ability in the middle allowed her to deliver passes and crosses to players across the pitch. She joined the defence line when she was needed and remained a strong central foundation for England.
- Chloe Kelly
Chloe Kelly came on as a substitute and brought instant impact to the game. She showed great versatility to slot into the centre forward position, moving to a position in midfield closer to her regular position when Beth England came on. She tried to create attacking runs, but struggled due to lack of support and Nigeria surrounding her. She scored the winning penalty to take England to the next round.
Tactical Analysis: Nigeria
Nigeria lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, which created a strong defensive foundation. Having two defensive midfielders ensured that Nigeria had six players to defend England’s attack, overcrowding the central areas. They also remained dangerous on attack, with three attacking midfielders who both defended and attacked throughout the match. Missing Oshoala in attack, Onumonu led the attacking line, applying pressure to England’s defence and having support behind her in midfield to ensure she was not isolated in attack.
Nigeria found ways to get numbers in attack despite their defensive nature, with their fullbacks playing high up the pitch. A strike from Ashleigh Plumptre in the 17th minute hit the crossbar, with Nigeria trying to recycle the ball. Nigeria looked strong on attack, having many opportunities throughout the second half and forcing England to make many blocks in front of goal. Nigeria’s strong foundation allowed them to pose a greater threat, getting numbers in the box.
Alongside their solid defensive line, goalkeeper Nnadozie made key saves throughout the match, making two important saves from an England corner, denying them a goal from a header by Rachel Daly followed by an Alessia Russo header. She saved many shots sent her way and proved to be hard to score against, forcing the game into extra time.
Early into the second half, Nigeria continued their hunt for a goal, with a goalscoring opportunity by Uchenna Kanu hitting the crossbar. To further strengthen the attack, Nigeria brought on their key goal scorer Asisat Oshala to replace Ifeoma Onumonu. From entering the pitch, she proved to pose a threat to the English defence, applying pressure and finding areas to create attacking movements and trying to find a goal to take Nigeria to the next round.
Making one more change in the second half, Francisca Ordega replaced Uchenna Kanu in attempts to bring new life into the game through fresh legs. Ordega joined the attack and proved to be a threat to England. Moving into the first period of extra time, Nigeria made another midfield substitute, bringing Onyi Echengini on for Halimatu Ayinde. This allowed Nigeria to remain dominant in the central areas, using one less player on the opposing team to their strength and creating attacking runs. Sending crosses into the box, Nigeria proved to be dangerous for England, with crosses hitting the central areas, and one skidding along the crossbar, testing Mary Earps late in the game. In the second half of extra time, Nigeria brought on Desire Oparanozie for Toni Payne, possibly due to her being a penalty taker and Nigeria preparing for a possible penalty shoot out.
Penalty Order
- Desire Oparanozie – wide
- Michelle Alozie – over
- Rasheedat Ajibade – goal
- Christy Ucheibe – goal
Key Players: Nigeria
- Ashleigh Plumptre
Ashleigh Plumptre showed versatility throughout the match. Playing in the fullback position, she made use of the channel to play a high and wide positioning, being involved in many of Nigeria’s attacking runs, and hitting a shot which hit the crossbar. She was part of Nigeria’s strong defensive line and was present across many areas of the pitch.
- Chiamaka Nnadozie
Goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnaozie made many crucial saves throughout the match. She denied England a chance on goal on multiple occasions and remained confident in the box, ensuring England couldn’t find a winning goal and taking the match to penalties.
- Asisat Oshala
It is no surprise that goal scorer Oshala made an impact when coming on early in the second half. She proved to be a threat from the first movement on the pitch, pressing the England defence and trying to intercept the ball. She made many attacking runs, and was present in the box for crosses that were sent in. She continued to try and find a solution for Nigeria to find a goal, whilst also joining the defensive central set up when called upon.