As per all pre-match expectations, the Lionesses dominated early on, with Lucy Bronze, Chloe Kelly and Alessio Russo all going close inside the opening 10 minutes.
However, it was a Haiti mistake just before the half-hour mark that broke the deadlock, when Batcheba Louis handled in the box. Georgia Stanway saw her spot-kick superbly thwarted by Kerly Theus, but after a review, the Haiti stopper was deemed to have strayed from her line, allowing Stanway to clinically sweep home at the second time of asking.
Prior to the match, Haiti midfielder Ruthny Mathurin had insisted her nation wasn’t in the tournament just to make up the numbers, but “to make history”. Perhaps acting on those words, they started to cause Sarina Wiegman’s side some problems as half-time approached.
Roselord Borgella spearheaded their best opportunities just prior to the break, though she missed the target with two close-range headers as England maintained their slender advantage in Brisbane.
Buoyed by a positive first-half showing, Haiti carried their momentum into the early stages of the second period, with the lively Melchie Dumonay seeing a powerful strike palmed away by Mary Earps.
England, clearly missing the presence of injured duo Leah Williamson and Beth Mead, looked to up the ante with time ticking into the final half-hour. However, wasteful finishing from Russo and Kelly continued to frustrate those who had travelled thousands of miles to cheer on the misfiring Lionesses.
Eager to inject some added impetus into England’s attack, Wiegman introduced Lauren James and Rachel Daly late on, but it was Earps who again came to England’s rescue, saving brilliantly from substitute Roseline Eloissaint.
That save proved to be vital for the Lionesses as they held on during the closing stages to seal a hard-fought victory. As for Haiti – who overcame the likes of Mexico and Chile en route to a first-ever WWC appearance – they can hold their heads high after a battling performance against the reigning European champions, despite the result representing a sixth loss in seven outings.
Flashscore Player of the Match: Melchie Dumonay (Haiti)
