August 01, (THEWILL) – England’s Lauren James scored twice to lead the European champions to a commanding 6-1 victory over China in the Women’s World Cup on Tuesday.
The result equalled England’s largest-ever World Cup win and took the top spot in Group D, while China faced their earliest exit from the tournament. In the other group game, Denmark triumphed 2-0 against Haiti, securing their place in the knockout round and setting up a meeting with co-hosts Australia while England will meet the Super Falcons of Nigeria in the next round.
England’s victory was ignited by an early goal from Alessia Russo, who displayed instinctive finishing just four minutes into the match. Lauren Hemp and Lauren James followed with additional goals before half-time. China managed to convert a second-half penalty through Wang Shuang but was overshadowed by James’ sublime volley, Chloe Kelly’s opportune goal after a goalkeeper mistake, and Rachel Daly’s late contribution.
England and Japan are now the only teams with a perfect record in the group stage, confirming their status as top contenders in the tournament. China’s tournament came to an unexpected end at the group stage for the first time in their history. The Steel Roses, previously a dominant force in women’s football, had consistently reached at least the round of 16 in the six previous World Cups.
Meanwhile, Denmark booked their place in the knockout stage, returning to the World Cup for the first time since 2007. Their win against Haiti was aided by a penalty converted by skipper Pernille Harder and sealed by a late goal from Sanne Troelsgaard, setting the stage for a promising run in the tournament.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
