England’s head coach, Sarina Wiegman, commended Nigeria for the “formidable performance” in the sides’ FIFA Women’s World Cup, round of 16 clash, Monday.

The intense encounter in Brisbane saw the teams battle to a goalless draw in regulation time.

The match took a dramatic turn with five minutes to the end of regular time, as England’s Lauren James received a red card after she stumped on Michelle Alozie, leaving England with 10 players on the field.

However, no goals were scored in extra time, leading to the game being decided on penalties.

Despite the tense nature of the match, Wiegman expressed satisfaction with her team’s performance.

The two-time FIFA Coach of the year also took the opportunity to offer praise to Nigeria for an impressive campaign in the World Cup.

“If we say I was worried then we underestimated Nigeria,” the Norwegian said.

“They did really well in the group stage as we all saw, so we were not underestimating them at all. They showed tonight what a good team they have; they were very well-organised, very physical, very athletic, pressed high and we had trouble getting out of that press.

“We could do a little better, but you have to give them the credit for how well they got back after we did get out of that first press and kept the ball and created chances. They did really well.”

“The game was equal and they were very transitional, so at moments where we lost the ball, they were really quick.”

Sarina Wiegman, also addressed the red card incident involving Lauren James.

The Lionesses’ coach defended the young player while also emphasizing the importance of learning from the situation.

“It was a split-second moment, late in the game where players can get a little tired. She is an inexperienced player on this stage and has done really well and in a split second, she lost her emotions.

“Of course, she doesn’t want to hurt anyone, she is the sweetest person I know. Things like that happen and you can’t change it.

“It is a huge lesson for her to learn but it wasn’t something that she did on purpose.”