Day 9: Something is rotten in the game against Denmark

England’s second match is overshadowed by injury

England 1 - Denmark 0

England’s match against Denmark was overshadowed by the injury of Keira Walsh, substituted in the 36th minute with what looked like a serious knee problem, but they put themselves in a strong position to qualify from the group after holding on to win 1-0 against Denmark.

Prior to Walsh’s injury, England had begun the game looking like a totally different side to the one that had struggled against Haiti. Sarina Wiegman had made two changes ahead of the match with Rachel Daly coming in for Jess Carter to play at left-back as Alex Greenwood moved over to partner Millie Bright in midfield. Lauren James also came in for Lauren Hemp.

It was James who lit this match up, scoring a fantastic curled strike from the edge of the area after only six minutes. Whilst many had suspected we might replace Ella Toone as the 10, James showed how she can offer something totally different to any of England’s other wingers out wide. The use of Daly behind her was key in order to still create width as James tucked inside.

As we can see from this attacking threat graphic, England’s control on the match changed when Walsh went off. They finished with 70% of the possession in the game but the concern will be how open they continue to look on quick transitional breaks. Lucy Bronze was able to get higher up the pitch with England seeming to be a lot less concerned about Denmark’s ability to counter-attack than they were against Haiti, but there were a number of moments when England lost the ball and were exposed.

One other concern from an England perspective will be their crossing. England have averaged 28.5 crosses per game in their first two World Cup matches against Haiti and Denmark. That is significantly higher than the 20.5 they averaged across their six matches at the Euros. Yet as we can see from this graphic, they are not doing it very well! Only three of their open play crosses against Denmark were successful. Clearly England are prioritising crosses as a way of attacking but they will need to be more precise if they are actually going to generate chances from them.

China 1 - Haiti 0

Just call Group D the group of 1-0s as the identical results kept flowing. What this game lacked in goals though it certainly made up for in drama. Haiti were unable to start Melchie Dumornay who had shone so brightly against England which was undeniably a big blow for them but it looked like they could gain an advantage when Zhang Rui was sent off after half an hour. Dumornay’s introduction certainly helped them look better offensively in the second half but the game descended into a litany of tight VAR calls. China scored from a clear penalty after on review the play was deemed to be onside but an on-field decision in Haiti’s favour in stoppage time was overturned by the referee whilst another penalty shout was not even looked at.

Haiti once again fell foul to tight margins which sees them having lost both their matches despite having been more or less equal to their opponents. Hope is not yet lost though as provided they beat Denmark in the final group game, they could still go through if England were to beat China and goal difference swung their way. Haiti will be hoping that luck might finally be on their side for that final group game.

Argentina 2 - South Africa 2

Argentina came back from two goals down to prove themselves the World Cup comeback queens and pick up a point against South Africa. Momentum swung wildly in this match with South Africa able to make the most of some horrendous defensive organisation from Argentina and repeatedly break their offside trap. Thembi Kgatlana and Jermaine Seoposenwe were electric as a front two with their display a masterclass in how to stay in touch with your striking partner. The positions they took meant that there was always a pass on for the free player with Argentina’s inattention to their movement allowing them to create some deadly opportunities. On their pass, we can see how key their square passes within the penalty area were.

South Africa will rue letting Argentina back into the match - they had a fantastic opportunity to score a third - but a spectacular shot from Sophia Braun got them one back before Romina Nuñez headed in a teasing cross from Yamila Rodriguez. All eyes will now be on Sweden’s match against Italy as the result there could have heavy ramifications on progression from the group for both of these sides.