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FIFA suspended England's Lauren James for two games after she picked up a red card in the team's round of 16 victory against Nigeria at the Women's World Cup. James' red card automatically ruled her out of Saturday's quarterfinal against Colombia, but the decision also makes her unavailable for a semifinal matchup against either Australia or France if England advance. A multiple-match ban was expected after James stepped on Nigeria's Michelle Alozie to earn the red card.

The forward apologized for the incident the day after the match through a statement issued by the England FA, saying she is "full of remorse" and that the action was "wholly out of character." James' teammates have supported her since the red card but are also determined to not let that moment derail their World Cup campaign.

"I think it's important that everyone's there for her and that we are there for her as a team and as [a] coaching staff," forward Beth England said before FIFA announced its punishment, per the BBC. "Ultimately, whatever decision they make, we have to, unfortunately. accept that and just get on with the game. There's bigger things than just focusing on one player right now."

The suspension, though, puts a dent in England's quest for their first World Cup title. James has been the Lionesses' most in-form striker and has been directly involved in six of the team's eight goals in Australia. Most of those moments came in a 6-1 win over China in the group stage, when James scored twice and notched three assists.

England aim to return to scoring ways in their next match against first-time quarterfinalists Colombia but do not have an easy task ahead of them -- the South American side have only conceded twice in four games so far at the World Cup.