England 1-0 Denmark! Fans roar on the Lionesses as they score first goal in just seven minutes in Women’s World Cup game in Sydney
- Tensions rose in the stadium as the national anthems were sung
England fans roared on the Lionesses as they took the lead by scoring within minutes of kick off against Denmark at the Women’s World Cup in Sydney.
Tensions rose in the stadium as the national anthems were sung, players huddled together and the game took off with an energetic start – before Lauren James whipped a curling effort past the Denmark keeper.
It took just minutes for Chelsea’s James, who was picked to start for the first time in this tournament, to lift the ball past diving keeper Lene Christensen with a lovely finish into the top-right corner, securing a 1-0 lead.
Women’s football has gained increasing popularity over the recent years, making it one of the fastest growing sports in the world.
England fans were out in force in Sydney earlier gearing up for the big game and chanting ‘it’s coming home’ ahead of kick off at 9.30am GMT.
One, dressed as Steve Irwin, said: ‘Today’s going to be a tough game, but we’re going to get the win!’
Lauren James (R) of England celebrates after scoring her team’s first goal
The England v Denmark game in full flow on Friday
Lucy Bronze of England controls the ball whilst under pressure
England in a huddle before the game kicked off – with fans cheering them on
England fan group, Free Lionesses, outside the Sydney Opera House
England fans out in force in Sydney today, gearing up for the big game
A fan dressed as Steve Irwin said ‘Today’s going to be a tough game, but we’re going to get the win!’
Brits gearing up for the big game chanted ‘it’s coming home’
Another named Jess, who had met up with a group she used to play football with at university, said it was great to be able to support the lionesses and women’s football while another, 71-year-old Sharon from Peterborough, showed off a badge she’d managed to get signed by some of the players.
An optimistic fan from Manchester predicted England would win 4-0.
England v Denmark
England: Earps, Bronze, Bright, Greenwood, Daly, Walsh, Toone, Stanway, James, Russo, Kelly.
Subs: Hampton, Charles, Hemp,Nobbs, Wubben-Moy, Morgan, Carter, Coombs, England, Zelem, Robinson, Roebuck.
Denmark: Christensen, Sevecke, Ballisager, Boye Sorensen, Veje, Holmgaard, Hasbo, Kuhl, Thomsen, Mosegaard-Harder, Madsen.
Subs: Larsen, Troelsgaard, Snerle, Vangsgaard, Thrige, Sorensen, Thogersen, Gevitz, Bruun, Jensen, Svava, Bay.
Referee: Tess Olofsson (Sweden)
England’s Lionesses released a dramatic trailer ahead of their World Cup clash against Denmark in Australia as excitement grows for the match.
The hype video opens with a montage of footage from training and the opening match against Haiti as an announcer says: ‘The Lionesses launch their latest legacy.’
Fans who turned up in Sydney are seen cheering on England’s women as one player applauded them for being ‘incredible as always’ and a ‘vital part of the game’.
Another footballer reiterated that as they enter today’s match the focus has been on ‘keeping our foot on the gas’ and ‘improving as players and a team’. She added that it is ‘such a proud moment’ every time the team ‘puts on the England shirt’.
The trailer came as the Lionesses prepared to face a stiff test in the form of Denmark today.
The Lionesses have now gone four games without a goal from open play, with team manager Sarina Wiegman acknowledging her team lacked ‘ruthlessness’ after they needed a Georgia Stanway penalty to beat minnows Haiti in their opening match.
Denmark beat China 1-0 in their opening match but manager Lars Sondergaard insisted his team, ranked 13th in the world, are the clear underdogs in today’s game.
Footage from a trailer released by England’s Lionesses ahead of their World Cup clash against Denmark
A fan who had met up with a group in Australia that she used to play football with at university
Players of England pose for a photograph during a training session at Central Coast Stadium yesterday
Fans outside of Sydney Harbour Bridge before the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 Group D match
England fans pictured today at the Sydney Football Stadium in Moore Park, Australia
Wiegman yesterday admitted she may make an out of character decision to alter her starting XI for the match.
Asked whether she will be ‘ruthless’ when it comes to her team selection today, the manager said: ‘That I’m more likely to make changes doesn’t have to do with that [ruthlessness], I want to make changes.
‘What we do is approach every game and then when we get ready to prepare, first of all we see who is fit and available and then we make the decisions to what we need to start with and then we decide whether we’re going to start with the same XI or maybe make some changes.
‘We talked about ruthlessness and we also said ‘what’s ruthlessness?’ We talked about coming into the final third, the crosses being right, coming into the box at the right time, and we worked on that. Today looked really good actually. We’re really looking forward to the game.’
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