James to Caicedo: Five players who lit up World Cup group phase
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The Women's World Cup knockout rounds begin on Saturday after some sparkling performances in the group phase.
AFP Sport picks out five players who have lit up the tournament so far:
Lauren James (ENG)The 21-year-old attacker made her first WorldCup start in England's second match and needed just six minutes to score, bending the ball into the corner from outside the box to give the European champions a 1-0 win over Denmark.
The Chelseaplayer then played a starring role in the 6-1 thrashing of China, scoring two wonderful goals — one with each foot — and setting up three others.
Before the World Cup she said she wanted to be talked about for something other than being the sister of England men's international defender Reece James.
Safe to say she has done that, and more.
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Football«She's special — a very special player for us and for women's football in general,» England team-mate Chloe Kelly told reporters.
Chiamaka Nnadozie (NGR)James will need to get score past Chiamaka Nnadozie next — England play Nigeriain the last 16.
Nigeria's 22-year-old skipper has presented a formidable barrier at the tournament.
The Paris FC goalkeeper defied legendary goalscorer Christine Sinclair from the spot to help Nigeria grab a crucial point in an opening 0-0 draw with Olympic champions Canada.
She then kept another clean sheet in a 0-0 stalemate with Ireland which saw Nigeria into the knockouts.
«She is so talented,» Sandrine Soubeyrand, the French legend and head coach at Paris FC, told ESPN.
«She is one of the main reasons why we finished third in the league last season and qualified for the Champions
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