England boss Sarina Wiegman felt her European champions lacked “ruthlessness” after they eked out a 1-0 victory over debutants Haiti to open their World Cup campaign at Brisbane Stadium.
Georgia Stanway’s retaken first-half penalty was ultimately enough to win her side all three points, but did little to ease concerns about the Lionesses’ attacking form after they failed to find the back of the net in their previous three encounters.
Were it not for a late second-half save from FIFA women’s goalkeeper of the year Mary Earps to deny substitute Roseline Eloissaint, the fourth-ranked Lionesses could well have ended their evening with a draw against their underdog Group D opponents, who sit 49 places below them in the FIFA rankings.
Wiegman said: “I would say (we were missing) ruthlessness. It’s easy to say, so what does that mean, ruthlessness?
“I think sometimes the connections with the cross, the timing of the cross, where the cross actually ends in the penalty box, then the connection in front of the goal, little things like that, at the end, you hope it goes in.
“I think we were very close a couple of times to scoring a goal, and then of course their defence was tough too, so we just keep trying, keep working on it and start tomorrow again.”
While Wiegman brushed off the notion that England looked rusty, reiterating they were “absolutely ready”, she was nevertheless impressed by a Haiti side she characterised as “unpredictable, very direct, very strong in the counter-attack”.
She said: “Lots of credit for Haiti for a first time in the World Cup and having a performance like that. I think the other two countries (in the group, Denmark and China) are going to really struggle with them, but of course that’s not our problem. I’m just really happy that we got the win.”
Haiti forward Roselord Borgella squandered an early chance when she found herself one-on-one with Earps but rolled her effort past the far post.
The Lionesses then thought they had won a least a penalty when Dayana Pierre-Louis clattered into Chloe Kelly on the byline and appeared to clip her knee with a stud, but the Haitian midfielder got away with just a yellow card after it was determined – following a lengthy VAR check – that Alessia Russo had committed a foul in the build-up.
Soon after that controversial decision, however, Batcheba Louis was punished for a handball and Stanway stepped up to the spot.
Though her initial effort was brilliantly saved by Kerly Theus, another VAR check determined the Haiti keeper had come off her line to make the stop and Stanway made no mistake with the resulting retake.
With the Lionesses unable to find the finishing touch in the second half, the majority England supporters in the 44,369 crowd breathed a collective sigh of relief when Earps made a brilliant save with her outstretched leg to deny Eloissaint and preserve the points.
Stanway added: “I think the most important thing to come out of it was the three points. It’s so important to win your first game in a tournament. It’s been a long build-up to today and we’re kind of happy to just get over the line.
“I think it takes a little bit to find your feet. Coming into a major tournament the pressure is high and the build-up is so long. You need those few minutes to get yourself into the game and settle, but once we did you could see the qualities that we have.”
England next face Denmark in Sydney before concluding the group stage against China in Adelaide.
Haiti boss Nicolas Delepine said: “We’re very proud of our performance. We’ve worked very hard and for us it was a huge test. We were up against the European champions.
“It was a huge test for us, we didn’t really know how to place ourselves. We weren’t sure how we were going to play, but we were able to pull it out of the bag. We were very close to England, but there are always things we can do better.”
Al Ahli 1-2 Al Hilal: Malcom saves league leaders' winning streak
Malcom’s stunning solo goal finished Al Hilal’s second-half comeback to earn a 2-1 win over Al Ahli in the Saudi Pro League on Monday.
The forward started his run from inside his own half before slotting in the winner, after teeing up Aleksandr Mitrovic for the equaliser just after the interval.
Feras Al Brikan had given Al Ahli the lead in the 30th minute, but the hosts could not hold onto it against the league leaders.
Al Hilal continue their unbeaten league campaign to a 30th match, moving 12 points clear at the top of the table, while Al Ahli remain in third, now 22 points off the AFC Champions League spot.
Data Debrief
Malcom was one of Al Hilal's most influential players; as well as playing a hand in both goals, he had the joint-most shots (five), and the joint-most shots on target (two), and created two chances for his team.
Al Ahli also struggled to cope with Mitrovic's threat, as the Serbian created an xG of 0.61 from his five shots, having 11 touches in the opposition box.
Ronaldo delivers another hat-trick as Al Nassr ease past Al Wedha
Cristiano Ronaldo crafted a decisive hat-trick as Al Nassr hammered Al Wedha 6-0 in Saturday's Saudi Pro League meeting.
Portugal veteran Ronaldo found the net twice in the first 12 minutes at Al Awal Park before completing his treble after the interval.
Sadio Mane teed up Ronaldo's third finish, as well as an 18th-minute strike from Otavio, who returned the favour for the Senegal international to score on the stroke of half-time.
Mohammed Al Fatil added a late sixth as Al Nassr recorded their seventh straight league win since their March 7 loss against Al Raed, moving them back within nine points of leaders Al Hilal.
Jorge Jesus's Al Hilal swept Al Tauwoon aside in a 3-0 away triumph on Friday for their fourth straight victory across all competitions.
Talisman Aleksandar Mitrovic opened the scoring at King Abdullah Sport City Stadium before Saud Abdulhamid and Saleh Alsherhi wrapped up a win that kept Al Hilal in charge of the title race.
There was no such fortune for fifth-placed Al Ittihad as they fell to a third straight defeat in all competitions after a 3-1 loss away against Abha.
Jota levelled after Grzegorz Krychowiak's 57th-minute penalty, only for Hassan Al-Ali and Fabian Noguera to power hosts Abha to a comfortable win.
Pioli focused on Genoa clash as speculation intensifies over Milan exit
Milan's disappointing campaign has put Stefano Pioli under scrutiny but his full concentration remains on a positive end to the season.
The Rossoneri are second in Serie A but 19 points adrift of champions Inter, and their fans suffered witnessing their fierce rivals secure the Scudetto in the recent derby win at San Siro.
That has only increased media reports about Pioli's dismissal once the season ends, with fans also protesting at the situation Milan face.
"My task shouldn't be complicated, there are four games left," Pioli told a press conference before Sunday's home game against Genoa.
"It's true that outside they talk about everything except the games, but not us. We have a great sense of responsibility. Then we'll see what the future is at the end of the season."
Some Italian reports have suggested Pioli could move to Napoli, though the Milan head coach refuted those claims.
"No thoughts, other than the next four games. At the end of the season, I'll meet with Milan and we'll see what to do," Pioli said.
"You've waited a long time, wait a little longer to talk about the future, the work is not done. The reality is I have another year on my contract with Milan and I won't speak to any other club while I'm under contract."
The atmosphere is tense around the club, and Milan ultras have announced they will not support the team against Genoa, remaining in silence without any banners or flags, as a form of protest against the owners.
"Our fans have always been an added value, especially in difficult moments. And I don't forget it," Pioli continued.
"They have taken this position and we respect it, then we have to do everything to win the game."
Milan have a five-point lead over Juventus in third and Genoa are 12th on 42 points, moving out of relegation danger.
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