England tops pesky Haiti 1-0; Denmark scores late in 1-0 stunner over China; Japan enjoys 5-0 rout of Zambia
The champions of Europe had to struggle for a 1-0 win over a Haiti side feeding off Melchie Dumornay’s forays through the England defense and Kerly Theus’ athletic saves in its Women’s World Cup debut on Saturday.
The difference between the world’s No. 4-ranked team and the unheralded, under-resourced, 53rd-ranked team from strife-torn Haiti came down to a handball.
A retaken penalty from Georgia Stanway in the 29th minute was enough for England to earn three points, the primary objective in the Group D opener for England manager Sarina Wiegman. But it did expose some deficiencies in her injury-depleted team.
“Haiti were unpredictable, they’re very transitional. That’s what they showed,” Wiegman said. “We were struggling with that.
“The win is the most important thing but now we need the final thing in finishing our chances.”
England had 19 shots on goal, including 10 on target. Theus made a succession of saves to keep Haiti in the contest, even stopping Stanway’s first penalty attempt before a VAR review ruled encroachment and gave the England midfielder a second chance — which she drilled inside the left post.
Haiti, mainly drawing on players based in France and the U.S., wanted to bring some positive news to a country in turmoil. For them, the narrow loss could be viewed as a win, of sorts.
“We’re very proud of our performance,” coach Nicolas Delépine said. “We’ve worked very hard and it was a huge test for us. We were very close to England, but there are always things we can do better on the pitch.”
Dumornay regularly troubled the England defense and created opportunities, but Haiti couldn’t quite finish.
They went within inches of an equalizer, only for England goalkeeper Mary Earps to make a crucial reflex save in the 81st in a close-range, one-on-one with substitute forward Roseline Éloissaint.
“I can say if we do that against England, we can do anything against anyone,” Dumornay said.
Dumornay was threatening on the counter and missed with her first real opportunity, narrowly failing to connect with a cross from the right in the 35th as she attempted a bicycle kick from inside the area.
And, just after halftime, Dumornay lashed a powerful right-foot shot that forced Earps into a save.
Ultimately, it was an inexplicable lapse from Haiti’s Batcheba Louis, who reached up as she jumped in the area and was penalized for handball, that made the difference.
Otherwise, it was an impressive debut in front of a 44,369 crowd from Haiti, one of the last three teams to qualify for the biggest Women’s World Cup ever staged.
