The Lionesses’ fireworks didn’t quite spark in their opening fixture as all England fans would have hoped, edging Haiti 1-0 in Brisbane.
Travelling south to Sydney’s Allianz Stadium, they were looking to dominate the ball once again but add a clinical edge to put the tournament on alert.
England got the business done to make it two from two, but another 1-0 win always kept Denmark in the game.
James The Star, Earps The Difference
Following in the footsteps of her brother Reece, Chelsea’s Lauren James showed no signs of jetlag as she got England off to the best start possible.
Finding a pocket of space in a dangerous area, James received the ball and turned for goal with only one thing on her mind. Her curling strike honed in on the target, sailing past Lene Christensen’s despairing dive to find the net in just the sixth minute of the match.
With any pre-match nerves in the team or fans settled, England had their opening and more would come.
But it didn’t pan out that way. England struggled to create many openings despite their ball possession. James couldn’t quite get enough to turn in a Lucy Bronze cross for her second, while Alessia Russo’s second-half chance was sliced wide.
Sarina Wiegman will be slightly concerned at her side’s passive play when out of possession. Whether it’s the nerves of the big stage or not, England failed to close Denmark down quickly enough on multiple occasions, leaving it up to Mary Earps to keep them out. This sloppiness nearly cost them the win when Amalie Vangsgaard’s header struck the post late on.
In addition to this, Keira Walsh was stretchered off late in the first half after jarring her knee when catching her foot in an awkward position. Although the initial scenes looked worrying, she remains with the squad after her scan showed she avoided any ACL damage.
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Shiva In Sydney
If you’ve not seen on the socials, Birmingham and Jamaica defender Shiv (@wilsoncoachinguk) has been spending her recovery time from injury with us at the tournament!
Showing her support for the Lionesses, Shiv visited our Sydney store to get kitted out in the latest Tech Fleece ‘fits from Nike. Mixing the perfect blend of style, sports tech and comfort, the matching set is a must-have on cooler matchdays.
Not stoppin’ there, she’s given us behind-the-scenes access to her action-packed trip down under. Featuring fan cams, stadium tours, sightseeing and more, see what Shiv’s been up to right here!
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Can They Make It 3/3?!
England’s final game of Group D comes against China at the Hindmarsh Stadium in Adelaide.
China need to better Denmark’s result against Haiti to progress to the knockout stage, so the Lionesses will need to be back to their best to finish strong and top the group.
Get behind the Lionesses with the latest England shirts from our range of WWC23 kits!
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