Monday also saw Brazil and their year-old superstar Marta kick things off with a comfortable victory Panama as Ary Borges scored a hat-trick, while Italy beat Argentina in the first game of the day with veteran striker Cristiana Girelli coming off the bench to grab the winner. That came a day after England began with a win but the Lionesses were pushed all the way by Haiti in what was a close contest in Brisbane.
England standby Lucy Staniforth hopes she has done enough to give boss Sarina Wiegman a future selection headache after scrapping her holiday plans to join the Lionesses for just over a fortnight in Australia. Sunday marked a bittersweet morning for both women, who have trained with the squad since mid-June but knew their time with the team had come to a close after England were deemed fully fit ahead of their victory over Haiti.
Lucy Staniforth hopes to have England future as she prepares to leave camp. England defender Lucy Bronze is drawing on the experience of her first World Cup eight years ago to allay fears that the Lionesses did not play like favourites in their opening victory against Haiti in Brisbane.
Bronze made her World Cup debut at the tournament, where England fell to France in their opener but ultimately finished up with the third-place medal for their best-ever finish in a global showpiece. The Dutch edged Portugal a year ago in the European Championship group stage, but this time the Iberian side were no match for the team in their trademark orange and did not have a shot on target until the 82nd minute.
The Dutch scored in the 13th minute from a corner when Van der Gragt rose above the defence at the far post to head home, but the flag went up for offside when the lineswoman deemed Jill Roord to be obstructing the goalkeeper. However, the offside decision for interfering with play was overturned on a VAR review by the referee after she watched a replay on the monitor and the goal stood, sparking a second celebration from the Dutch team.
