England take three points from Haiti in nervy World Cup opener

It was a nervy opening match for England as they faced World Cup debutants, Haiti. The Grenadieres sat very deep in their own half and proved very frustrating for the Lionesses as they struggled to break down surprisingly disciplined defending.

Haiti could have taken the lead but Roselord Borgella was unable to capitalise on the break and sent a shot wide when she was practically one-on-one with England keeper, Mary Earps. Earps was hardly troubled in the opening 45', with Haiti breaking a few times on the counter, but similarly struggling to finish clinically. 

Their 19-year-old midfield star, Melchie Dumornay, fresh off a move to French side, Lyon, showed herself to be a tricky customer for England, but couldn't find the breakthrough either.

England finally got the lead from a retaken penalty, after a Haiti handball put Georgia Stanway on the spot. Kerly Theus made a spectacular save, but VAR ruled that she'd jumped off her line, and Stanway did not make the same mistake the second time, firing the ball into the bottom left corner.

Haiti had their best chances in the dying moments of first half stoppage time, but England went into the break with the narrow lead. They came out in the second half pushing for a second, but despite more chances coming, they couldn't find a way past Theus.

Alessia Russo, author of some impressive goals at the 2022 Euros, was repeatedly denied by the Haitian keeper, much to her annoyance and was eventually subbed off for Aston Villa striker, Rachel Daly. 

Despite England's continuing press, they faced a few tense moments as Dumornay impressed on the counter with her pace and skill, causing Earps trouble all the way until the 90th minute.

Sarina Wiegman's side got over the line, but it was hardly the domination that was expected, and Haiti will walk away from this encounter likely content with their performance.

 

July 22, 2023