England have won their first Women’s World Cup match with a 1-0 victory over Haiti.
It took 29 minutes for Georgia Stanway to push the Lionesses into the lead with a retaken penalty – aiming the ball low into the left corner of the net.
England looked dominant from the start, with Alessia Russo running rings around the defence to take an early chance after five minutes.
There was also a chance with a penalty after 18 minutes when Haitian player Dayana Pierre-Louis was given a yellow card for a foul in the area.
Russo almost landed a header after 20 minutes.
The first half turned on two penalties after a handball, with the first replayed after VAR ruled the Haitian goalkeeper had encroached.
Stanway scores England’s goal
England kept up the pressure in the second half but were unable to secure a second goal.
Haiti came tantalisingly close to scoring in the 81st minute, but England goalkeeper Mary Earps made a stunning stop with her feet to block the attempt.
The odds were stacked against Haiti’s Les Grenadieres, who are 49 places behind England in the global rankings.
