In the other part of the tournament, the Danish team achieved a less bulky victory against Haiti (2-0) in Perth. A penalty and a goal in the 90+10 minute were enough to secure their advancement to the next round, where they will face co-hosts Australia next Monday.
For their part, the English will face Nigeria in the round of 16 of the World Cup organized in Australia and New Zealand on the same day that Denmark faces Australia.
The English team, the current European champions, dominated the match against China from the first minute. Alessia Russo scored the opener in the 4th minute, followed by another from Lauren Hemp on the 26th. Chelsea’s young striker Lauren James scored the third goal from outside the box in the 41st minute.
A second goal soon after was disallowed for offside by Lucy Bronze, who did not intervene in the play but assisted the Chelsea striker seconds later. In the second half, China’s Wang Shuang converted a penalty for China’s only goal in the 57th minute. Lauren James hit an impressive volley in the 65th minute, and teammates Chloe Kelly (77) and Rachel Daly (84) closed the English performance with two more goals.
With three victories in three games, England confidently advances to the knockout phase of the 2023 World Cup with nine points, while China and Haiti say goodbye to the tournament.