England star Lauren James sent-off for shock ‘Wayne Rooney moment’ to leave World Cup dreams in tatters vs Nigeria

LAUREN JAMES was sent off in the second half of England’s last-16 tie with Nigeria for STAMPING on one of the opposition players.

James – the sister of Chelsea and England ace Reece – was given her marching orders in the dying moments of the match for deliberately stepping on Michelle Alozie.

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Lauren James clashed with Michelle Alozie in the dying stages of the quarter-final tie[/caption]

PA

And she lost her head seconds later and stamped on the back of Alozie[/caption]

PA

James’ stamp wasn’t initially seen by the referee[/caption]

AP

But referee Melissa Borjas gave James her marching orders after being informed of the violent conduct by the VAR[/caption]

James, 21, ended up on top of the Nigeria striker after a tussle for the ball.

But she lost her head and decided to deliberately stamp on Alozie’s back.

The referee, however, didn’t initially spot the incident.

But after being informed of the violent conduct by VAR, she didn’t hesitate to send James for an early shower.

England fans couldn’t quite believe their eyes and flocked to Twitter to express their dismay.

And some likened it to Wayne Rooney’s infamous red card against Portugal, which he received for stamping on former Manchester United team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo at the 2006 World Cup.

One tweeted: “It’s Wayne Rooney all over again LOL.”

Another said: “Lauren James with a Wayne Rooney moment!!

And another said: “Lauren James with her Wayne Rooney 2006 moment!

“Will this cost them the tournament?”

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One remarked: “Lauren James going flll Wayne Rooney World Cup 06 there.”

Another chimed in: “Lauren James, absolutely livid.

“That is worse, considerably worse, than Beckham or Rooney.”

James’ straight red has likely ruined her chances of winning the golden boot – which she was widely tipped to claim.

Former England star Fara Williams said of the Blues star: “She’s an exceptional talent, and one that I was looking forward to seeing her showcase that on the world stage.

She added: “I knew that she had, not just the qualities on the pitch, but the calmness to demonstrate it which is something else.

“She’s such a composed athlete, and I’m just so happy to see her have done what she’s done.

“Player of the match in her first two starts at the World Cup, that speaks volumes of her as a player.”

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