European Champions England took one step closer to Round of 16 qualification at this year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup with a 1-0 win over Denmark on Friday (28 July) in Sydney.
England manager Sarina Wiegman gave 21-year-old Lauren James (6’) her first-ever World Cup start and was rewarded for doing so when the Chelsea striker found the back of the net within the first ten minutes, scoring the only goal of the game and all but confirming England’s qualification to the next round.
The result, however, was somewhat overshadowed by the injury of Keira Walsh.
The Barcelona midfielder went down in the middle of the pitch with ten minutes to go until half-time.
In visible distress, Walsh immediately ushered on the England medical staff as she appeared to say, “I’ve done my knee.”
The 26-year-old was stretchered off after alerting medical staff that she couldn’t continue, but the impact clearly hindered England’s confidence, making them look like a different team from the one that started with such spark.
Denmark grew into the game as the second half progressed, taking advantage of a vulnerable England defence.
A change in England’s setup injected life into the Lionesses, with Bethany England getting her first minutes of the tournament, but it wasn’t enough to stop a Danish attack from hitting the bar in the 88th minute.
England were lucky to hang on to a risky 1-0 lead, visibly impacted by the loss of Walsh, but the performance was enough to see them stay clear at the top of Group D with one round of games remaining, and needing just to avoid defeat in their final match against China to guarantee progress to the knockout stages.
Lauren James takes England to another level
After a glittering season in the Women’s Super League with Chelsea, Lauren James earned herself a well deserved place in Sarina Weigman’s squad for this summer.
And now, the rest of the world has finally seen what she is capable of.
Just six minutes into the game, Rachel Daly found James in plenty of space outside the box.
With incredible composure, the 21-year-old turns and releases an incredible strike that whistles straight past Lene Christensen into the bottom right hand corner.
Not only did the goal put England on the brink of Round of 16 qualification, but it superbly reiterated James’ value to the Lionesses.
At just 21 years of age, James’ prospect knows no bounds as she offers Sarina Wiegman a variety of attacking options in front of goal.
“It’s a dream I’ve been thinking about but most importantly I was glad to help the team win,” she told the BBC post-match.
“I kind of had a thought [that it would go in] but as soon as it hit the net it was just a relief.”
There is no doubt that James has the potential to achieve huge success for her country over the next few years.
