When England players saw red at the World Cup
Published:
Lauren James became the fourth England player to be sent off in a World Cup knockout match after her red card against Nigeria.
The 21-year-old suffered the same fate as David Beckham, Wayne Rooney and Millie Bright on the world stage.
Here we look back at all four England red cards at the World Cup.
David Beckham v Argentina, 1998
England were drawing 2-2 with their fierce rivals from South America when, two minutes after half-time, Beckham was shoved to the ground by Argentina henchman Diego Simeone.
As he was lying face down on the pitch, the Manchester United midfielder petulantly swung his right leg at the perpetrator.
It was hardly the crime of the century but it occurred right in front of referee Kim Morten Nielsen, who booked Simeone before swapping cards and giving Beckham his marching orders.
The 10 players of England managed to hold out for a 2-2 draw but lost on penalties, with Beckham made the scapegoat for their exit in the last 16 after the most famous of all the England red cards at the World Cup.
Wayne Rooney v Portugal, 2006
Rooney was tussling for the ball with Ricardo Carvalho when he left the sole of his boot in the groin of the Portugal defender.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Rooney’s then-Manchester United team-mate, led the protests towards referee Horacio Marcelo Elizondo, who initially looked set to take no further action after awarding a free-kick.
Rooney shoved Ronaldo away before Elizondo brandished the red card, prompting the famous wink towards the bench from the Portugal superstar.
Again, England held out for more than half an hour a player down to force penalties after a goalless draw. And again, they lost the shoot-out to exit in the quarter-finals.
Millie Bright v USA, 2019
England were 2-1 down, had seen a goal disallowed and missed a penalty when, in the 86th minute, centre-half Bright made another heavy challenge on USA goalscorer Alex Morgan.
Having already been booked for a crunching tackle on the striker in the first half, Bright was shown a second yellow to become the first woman to be sent off for England at a World Cup.
It was a deflating semi-final exit for the Lionesses, while the USA went on to lift the trophy in France, with England eventually finishing fourth.
Lauren James v Nigeria, 2023
There were echoes of Beckham and Rooney when England’s brightest young star, Chelsea forward James, trod on the back of Nigeria’s Michelle Alozie.
James was initially booked for the 87th-minute incident but the replays were not pretty and, after a VAR review, it was upgraded to a red card.
England held out through extra time for a goalless draw and, for a change, won the penalty shoot-out to go through to the quarter-finals.
