England vs Haiti LIVE: Latest Women’s World Cup updates

Catherine Musonda comes storming off her line and clatters into Riko Ueki. It’s a clear foul and the Zambian goalkeeper earns a second yellow card followed by a red!

Eunice Sakala comes on to replace her for the stoppage time penalty. She saves it! A strong hand tips the ball onto the bar but wait, there’s a VAR check going on.

Oh no! Sakala left her line too early and the penalty is retaken.

This time Ueki smokes it hom and Japan have a fifth.

This will be the first ever match between England and Haiti. The Lionesses have never lost a group stage game against a CONCACAF team played at the Women’s World Cup with two wins and one draw from their three matches.

In a surprise to absolute no-one, England are the massive favourites with the bookmakers to win their opening match at the World Cup when they take on Haiti this morning.

According to Betfair, it would cost punters £80 just to win £1 back should the Lionesses prevail in Brisbane but, for the chancers, Haiti have an outside chance of 75/1 to defeat Sarina Wiegman’s team.

England vs Haiti match odds:

As the squads have been adjusting to Australia and New Zealand over the last few weeks, many coaches and staff members have been doing what the rest of the public does, bouncing around news stories about the different teams to see how they are doing. It is the point at which an international tournament takes on that enticingly self-contained quality. All eyes still go to the USA, especially with this being Megan Rapinoe’s last World Cup, and the squad looking to see her off with a historic third successive victory.

As the defending champions themselves look around the field, though, they aren’t seeing what they used to. There is the usual confidence, of course, but also some caution. The gap between them and the rest of the teams isn’t as big. Rapinoe’s retirement may well close out a wider era, since the dominant factor in women’s football over the last decade has been how the USA have enjoyed much longer-term development than the rest of the game. That has been seen as especially influential as regards physical conditioning, but the general feeling is that the European game and Australia have caught up.

Big World Cup preview, by Miguel Delaney

Here’s the Haitian team that will line-up against England:

Haiti XI: Kerly Theus, Jennyfer Limage, Tabita Joseph, Melchie Daelle Dumornay, Batcheba Louis, Sherly Jeudy, Nerilla Mondesir, Betina Petit-Frere, Dayana Pierre-Louis, Kethna Louis, Roselord Borgella

Japan are firmly in control of this match now and are starting to get their rewards. Hinata Miyazawa sends them ahead by three goals before Jun Endo adds a fourth with 20 minutes to go.

They draw the Zambian defence over to the right side of the pitch, pulled the ball back into the middle before slipping Endo into space on the left. She carries it into the box and nestles a lovely finish into the far bottom corner.

Sarina Wiegman had some big calls to make ahead of England’s opening game. The Lionesses manager goes for Alessia Russo over Rachel Daly at No 9, while Chloe Kelly starts ahead of Lauren James on the right. Ella Toone starts at No 10, with James on the bench. Millie Bright is fit enough to start, as expected. We will have to wait and see whether it’s Jess Carter or Alex Greenwood who partners her, with the other slotting in at left back.

England XI: Mary Earps; Lucy Bronze, Millie Bright, Jess Carter, Alex Greenwood; Georgia Stanway, Keira Walsh; Chloe Kelly, Ella Toone, Lauren Hemp; Alessia Russo

The official team news will soon be dropping for England’s opener against Haiti. Sarina Wiegman’s side have arrived at the Brisbane Stadium and look ready for this one.

Finally, this one counts! Tanaka has her goal at the third attempt. Jun Endo puts it on a plate with a lovely ball across goal, after she had been played through by the excellent Yui Hasegawa. Tanaka slides in and steers it into the far corner!