England Women labored to a narrow 1-0 victory over tournament debutants Haiti Women in their Group D opener at the Brisbane Stadium on July 22nd. The match result was secured by a retaken penalty from Georgia Stanway in the 29th minute, but the European champions were far from their fluent best. Stanway's initial spot-kick was saved by the exceptional Haitian goalkeeper Kerly Théus, but a VAR review for encroachment ordered a retake, which the England midfielder converted. Haiti, ranked 53rd in the world, defended courageously and threatened on the counter-attack, with England's Mary Earps making a vital save to preserve the lead. The win gave England three points but raised questions about their attacking sharpness, while Haiti earned immense respect. England manager Sarina Wiegman acknowledged the need for improvement, while Haiti's Nicolas Delépine hailed his team's historic performance.