England 1-0 Haiti: Lionesses scrape past minnows after penalty let-off as they get World Cup off to winning start

ENGLAND kicked off their World Cup campaign with a hard-fought fashion against minnows Haiti.

Sarina Wiegman’s team went into the clash as huge favourites against the rank outsiders at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia.

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England’s Georgia Stanway celebrates after breaking the deadlock[/caption]

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Haiti goalie Kerly Theus brilliantly saved her first penalty effort[/caption]

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The England star made no mistake with her second attempt after she was saved by VAR[/caption]

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That was enough to ensure that England got off to a winning start Down Under[/caption]

But despite dominating possession, they found Haiti a tough nut to crack as they were pushed all the way.

England managed to take the lead on 29 minutes after Batcheba Louis had her hands high up in the air as the ball was whipped in from a corner.

A VAR check showed that she had touched it with her fingers, leaving the official with no option but to award a penalty.

Georgia Stanway stepped up to take it, but Kerly Theus produced a fantastic stop to tip the ball wide.

However, a VAR check showed that she had come off her line, giving Stanway a second opportunity and she took it as this time she drilled it home to break the deadlock.

Despite Alessia Russo coming close twice in the second period, Theus and her defence stood strong.

And the Lionesses had goalie Mary Earps to thank late on as she produced a great save to secure the win.

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