Women's World Cup: England whiffs shot, still scores vs. Norway

June 27 (UPI) -- England star Ellen White missed the ball on a shot attempt, but it rolled to her teammate for a scoring strike early on in a 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup quarterfinal game against Norway Thursday in Le Havre, France.

Jill Scott connected on the assist from right back Lucy Bronze in the third minute. England led Norway 2-0 at halftime of the matchup at Stade Oceane.

England star Nikita Parris sparked the scoring sequence when she received the ball near midfield. Parris flipped a pass down the right flank, leading Bronze toward the corner flag. Bronze outran defenders before working her way into the box, just before the end line.

She passed the ball into the box with her right boot before falling out of bounds. The pass slid toward White, who picked up her right foot and attempted a one-touch shot. But White took her eye off of the ball and completely missed.

The ball rolled over to Scott, who finished with a shot off of the left post. The ball rolled into the net behind Norway keeper Ingrid Hjelmseth.

White redeemed herself in the 40th minute. Parris received a ball in the box just before the half. She spotted White to her left and sniped a quick pass to the England striker. White buried her first-touch look past Hjelmseth, giving England a two-goal halftime edge.

The winner of the England and Norway matchup battles the United States or France in the semifinals at 3 p.m. EDT Tuesday in Lyon.