England need to beware the underdogs, warns former striker Sanderson

LONDON : England may be seen as favourites to win their first Women's World Cup, but they are not guaranteed to beat Nigeria in the last 16 on Monday, former Lioness Lianne Sanderson said as she highlighted the incredible form of the lower-ranked teams.

England have won all their games so far, including a 6-1 thrashing of China, to top Group D. However, their opponents in Brisbane, Nigeria, have played well above their world ranking of 40 and did not lose as they finished second in Group B.

Their story is just one of many underdog triumphs in this tournament, with teams like Jamaica, Morocco and South Africa reaching the last 16 for the first time. Meanwhile, two-time champions Germany and Olympic winners Canada have crashed out.

That should make England wary of getting the bunting out just yet, said former striker Sanderson, who scored 15 goals in 50 appearances for the national team.

"The Lionesses, people expect them to win the World Cup just because they won the Euros (2022)," Sanderson, who was part of the England side that finished third at the 2015 World Cup, told Reuters in a Zoom interview.

"People come up to me on the street and say, 'Lianne, you're going to win a World Cup'. I'm like, hopefully, but as we know, it doesn't work like that. You (have to) factor in other nations...

"This World Cup we see is going to be completely different. South Africa are through, Nigeria, the Reggae Girlz (Jamaica) - there's been incredible stories that don't usually happen in the women's game."

The results are even more incredible given the lack of funding teams like Jamaica have had. The players are in dispute with the Jamaican FA over pay and conditions, and complained about insufficient preparations in the leadup to the global