A knee injury to key midfielder Keira Walsh marred England's 1-0 win over Denmark at Allianz Stadium, where 40,439 fans watched a FIFA Women's World Cup Finals encounter the only goal of which was scored in the game's first noteworthy attack. The reigning European champions couldn't have got off to a better start in this match. Georgia Stanway and Rachel Daly linked up with Lauren James, who picked out the far corner of the net with a sumptuous twenty yard curler in the sixth minute. That set the tone for the contest, with Denmark barely crossing the halfway line inside the first twenty minutes, save for a thirty yard drive from Katrine Veje which Mary Earps grabbed beneath her crossbar. Lene Christensen was by far the busier goalkeeper, however, keeping out successive James drives in as many minutes halfway through the half, then positioning herself well to counter an Ella Toone attempt after she'd been picked out by Stanway. England eased off a tad at this point, and the Danes wasted no time in picking up the baton. Josefine Hasbo picked out Rikke Madsen with a super pass which allowed the flank player to turn and send a shot flashing across the face of goal in the 24th minute. Two minutes later, Madsen turned provider, Janni Thomsen the beneficiary of her team-mate's creativity as she ran through the inside right channel. Awful defending by Alex Greenwood aided her cause, but the Danish winger sent her shot soaring over the bar. Unperturbed, they came again, Karen Holmgaard intercepting a Lucy Bronze pass and scampering forward before unleashing Pernille Harder at the England rearguard. Denmark's talisman took on and beat three opponents, only to shoot straight at Earps as the half-hour mark loomed large on the horizon. After Bronze headed a Chloe Kelly corner onto the roof of Denmark's net, the game took a downturn when Walsh went down awkwardly, clutching her knee. Given the history of ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) injuries which have plagued the women's game in recent times, it was feared this was another unwelcome addition to those statistics, this time on the world's biggest stage. England's midfield anchor departed to warm applause from all present. England regrouped and came out all guns blazing in

the second spell, Stine Ballisager clearing her lines from a Kelly corner within sixty seconds of the game recommencing. Soon after, Greenwood delivered a corner to the far post which saw Bronze invite Toone to let fly. She did so, inaccurately. The Danes rode out this early storm and started to cause their opponents increasing issues to counter as the half wore on. Greenwood spared Milly Bright's blushes after she all but gifted the ball to Madsen in the 51st minute, while a minute later, Kathrine Kuhl fired tamely at Earps. Although Denmark were clearly growing stronger as the game went on, England kept pressing, Greenwood's 57th minute corner finding Bronze flying in on the far post, past which she sent  her header. Nineteen minutes from time, Alessia Russo set sail for goal from halfway, only to shoot wide of the target. Ten minutes later, her replacement, Beth England, directed a header past the post after Lauren Hemp had combined with Daly down the left, this after Veje's teasing cross-shot had given Earps cause for concern. For all their pressure, Denmark weren't really threatening England's goal, but after Bronze had fired wide from twenty-five yards five minutes from time, they piled on the pressure in search of a late equaliser, Bright's vital clearance of Nicoline Sorensen's vicious cross through the corridor of uncertainty spared England's blushes in the 86th minute after Harder had inspired the attack, after which Denmark went desperately close to equalising, the width of a post preventing Amalie Vangsgaard from levelling the scores after Kuhl and Sorensen had combined to good effect. That was as close as Denmark got to an equaliser, however, James' sixth minute strike earning England maximum points from their second game of the tournament, and leaving the Danes in a need of a win in their last group match if they harbour hopes of knockout football. England:     Earps; Bronze, Bright, Greenwood, Daly; Toone (Hemp, 76), Walsh (Coombs, 38), Stanway; James, Russo (England, 76), Kelly Denmark:     Christensen; Sevecke, Ballisager (Thogersen, 76), Boye, Veje; Hasbo (Vangsgaard, 71), Holmgaard (Troelsgaard, 87), Kuhl; Thomsen, Harder, Madsen (Sorensen, 76) Referee:     Tess Olofsson (Sweden)