BRISBANE – It was a momentary lapse of judgment that seemed totally out of character and one that could have big implications for England’s World Cup hopes.
The Lionesses have rallied around Lauren James as they await news of whether her ban for stamping on Michelle Alozie during the penalty shootout win over Nigeria will be extended, potentially ruling her out of the rest of the tournament.
The 21-year-old will certainly miss the quarter-final against Colombia or Jamaica and her teammates have promised that they will “100 per cent” support the young forward whether she plays again at this tournament or not.
“It’s football,” said captain Millie Bright. “Listen, I have had red cards. Everyone goes through it as a player, everyone goes through it on the world stage. But for me, it’s not a situation that needs too much light shining on it. It’s happened. It’s in the past.
“We are through. All that matters is we come together as a group, we have each other’s backs, and it is just another challenge in football that the player has to face. But we have got her back completely and we will get ready for the next game.”
Asked if she had relayed that message to James, Bright added: “100 per cent. I think it is really important that we look after each other. I have been through that. I know exactly how that feels.
“I think it is important that she has her space and lets her emotions settle. But it’s done now, we move on. We are through.”
Jess Carter, another of her Chelsea teammates, insisted James will bounce back but feared she will have to undergo trial by social media first – indeed in the hours after the game James limited comments on her Instagram account to avoid abuse.
“Of course, she’s a young player and we’ve seen throughout the tournament the talent that she had,” Carter said.
“Along with us all she’s got things to learn. To be honest, I didn’t see the challenge, so I can’t speak much on that, but she’s got good people around her, she’s got a strong character, she’ll be kicking herself enough. She’ll come back from this, it’s lessons learned and she’ll do better next time.
“Social media is, I think, the devil. I think it’s horrible to go on, but I think she’s got enough experience around her, enough people around her to help her and be there for her through everything. That’s what we are, we stick together as a team.”
For a player who had inspired the Lionesses through the latter part of the group stages, her absence will be felt even more acutely. Having been benched for the opening win over Haiti, she won back-to-back Player of the Match awards, scored the winning goal against Denmark and starred against China with two more goals and three assists.
Chloe Kelly, who converted England’s decisive spot-kick at the Suncorp Stadium, described James as a “top player with a top mentality”.
“We’ll get around her of course,” Kelly said. “I think being ready in the moment for all of us, it’s about the 23 sticking together in this moment.”
Rachel Daly issued a reminder that “she’s a young player and people forget that”, adding that “everyone puts a lot of pressure on the kid”.
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