BCE

The Round of 16 at the Women’s World Cup has certainly delivered with some thrilling finishes.

We nearly woke up to another stunning upset this morning.

After Sweden eliminated the pre-tournament favourite in the United States with a win in penalties on Sunday, it was the favourite entering the Round of 16 in England that was pushed the distance by Nigeria this morning.

Nigeria was +460 to advance at FanDuel.

England, which was -900 to advance, was reduced to 10 players following a red card to Lauren James.

Despite having their backs against the wall for periods of the match, the Lionesses ultimately prevailed with a 4-2 win in penalties.

Meanwhile, co-hosts Australia cruised to a 2-0 win over Denmark in this morning’s other Round of 16 match.

We still have two more stops to go in the Round of 16, but if what we have seen so far in the knockout stage is any indication, we should in for a thrilling set of quarter-final matches.

This is the Morning Coffee for Monday August 7th, 2023.

There isn’t much room for error on the game’s biggest stage.

When Lauren James was sent off the field with a straight red card in the 87th minute, it put the Lionesses in a difficult position to close out their Round of 16 showdown with Nigeria.

RED CARD FOR ENGLAND! After VAR review, Lauren James' yellow card is replaced by a red card for stepping on Michelle Alozie. England will finish off the match down a player. #FIFAWWC pic.twitter.com/3UhOAGG61p

Despite being nearly 5-to-1 to advance at FanDuel, Nigeria was the more dangerous attacking side for the majority of the match.

Nigeria hit the bar twice in both the first half and the second half.

Then they had a golden opportunity to capitalize after England was reduced to 10 players ahead of