Former Chelsea player Michy Batshuayi has sent a hilarious Tweet to Reece James as his sister Lauren continues to shine at the Women’s World Cup.
Are England in the Women’s World Cup 2023?
So far, the Lioness have impressed during the group stage of the tournament taking place in Australia and New Zealand, with three wins from three.
In the first game, they crept over the line with a 1-0 victory over Haiti. After that result, head coach Sarina Wiegman opted to name James in her starting lineup for the next game and was instantly rewarded.
Indeed, the Chelsea 21-year-old scored after just six minutes with that being the only goal of the match as England beat Denmark 1-0.
The Lionesses truly found their rhythm in their final group match, however, as they beat China 6-1 with James the star of the show.
She netted two fine goals and also claimed three assists, making her only the third player on record – they began in 2011 – to be directly involved in five goals in a Women’s World Cup game (via BBC Sport).
Evidently stunned by James’ display, Batshuayi took to Twitter to send a funny message to her brother and former teammate James.
The Fenerbahce striker said: “Damn Lauren’s got a better finish than me bro, @ReeceJames.”
While he also added that he’s a novice when it comes to women’s football but he can tell just how good Lauren is immediately, noting: “Honestly I’ve seen 2 games only but she’s very very good.”
How many goals has Lauren James scored at the World Cup?
According to Opta, despite not starting the Lionesses’ first game, James has the most goals and assists of any player at this year’s tournament, with three goals and three assists in total. What’s more, with her five-goal contribution against China, she became the first England player to be directly involved in 5+ goals in a game at the Men’s or Women’s World Cup.
Evidently, she has delivered a number of fantastic moments over in Australia already but perhaps the pick of the bunch was her second goal, a stunning volley, in the most recent win.
As you can see from the footage above, she ghosts in late at the far post to arrive with exquisite timing, before displaying immaculate technique to volley the ball into the opposite corner with her weaker left foot.
Unsurprisingly, after the game, Wiegman praised James, telling the press that she did “special things”, while Chloe Kelly, the scorer of England’s fifth goal, added: “She’s a very special player for us and women’s football in general. She’s a special talent and the future is bright” (via The Guardian).
James, who was actually denied a hat-trick by a VAR call for offside, also seemed delighted after the game.
“It’s what dreams are made of. Happy for the team; everyone is buzzing. We are looking forward to the next round,” James told ITV (via TNT Sports).
“I felt free. Whether I’m on the wing or in the middle, I’m happy to be playing and contributing to goals.”
All in all, it appears that Chelsea have a pair of very talented siblings on their books.