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Michigan football recruiting: 4-star OT Bennett Warren sets commitment dateMichigan already has the No. 4-ranked class in the 247Sports composite and they're poised to add one of their highest-rated commitments yet.Four-star offensive tackle Bennett Warren set his commitment date for July...

When Nouhaila Benzina steps onto the field for Morocco’s first match of the Women’s World Cup against Germany, she will make history — and not just as a player for the first Arab or North African nation ever in the tournament. The 25-year-old defender will be the first player to wear the Islamic headscarf at the senior-level Women’s World Cup. She and the Atlas Lionesses face two-time World Cup champions Germany in Melbourne, Australia, on Monday. “Girls will look at Benzina (and think) ‘That could be me,’” said Assmaah Helal, a co-founder of the Muslim Women in Sports Network said of the hijab. “Also the policymakers, the decision-makers, the administrators will say, ‘We need to do more in our country to create these accepting and open and inclusive spaces for women and girls to participate in the game.’” Benzina, who plays professional club soccer for the Association’s Sports of Forces Armed Royal – the eight-time defending champions in Morocco’s top women’s league – hasn’t yet been made available to speak to reporters here at the Women’s World Cup. In recent weeks, she has shared social media posts from others about the history-making nature of her World Cup appearance. “We are honored to be the first Arab country to take part in the Women’s World Cup,” Morocco captain Ghizlane Chebbak said on Sunday, “and we feel that we have to shoulder a big responsibility to give a good image, to show the achievements the Moroccan team has made.” Had Morocco qualified for the Women’s World Cup a decade ago, a player who wanted to wear the hijab during a game might have been forced to choose between that and representing her country. In 2007, a referee barred an 11-year-old Canadian girl from wearing a hijab during a club match. When the issue reached FIFA, the sport's global governing body banned head coverings in competitions it sanctioned, except for coverings that exposed the neck. FIFA cited “health and safety” concerns, some related to possible choking, with regulations forbidding “equipment that is dangerous to himself or another player.” “That really sent a strong message to Muslim women, particularly those who wear hijabs, (that) we don’t belong,” said Helal, an Australia-based operations manager of Creating Chances and Football United. Helal was among the social activists, Muslim athletes, and government and soccer officials who worked to overturn the ban. In 2012, FIFA granted the Asian Football Confederation a two-year trial period during which players would be allowed to wear head coverings at international competitions. No senior-level World Cups, men’s or women’s, were scheduled during the trial period. In 2014, FIFA lifted its ban on head coverings. Two years later, the under-17 Women’s World Cup in Jordan marked the first time Muslim players wore headscarves during an international FIFA event. Maryan Hagi-Hashi, a Melbourne resident who attended Morocco’s public practice session last week, said she is supporting the Atlas Lionesses alongside tournament co-host Australia. She appreciates the representation that the Moroccan team and Benzina provide, she said. Get all the latest Women’s World Cup odds here “There’s a mixture of (Muslim) women that wear hijab and don’t wear a hijab,” Hagi-Hashi said. “I think the world has realized there is diversity.” Helal said that since the ban was lifted, she has seen an increase in Muslim girls and women playing soccer, pursuing coaching pathways and leading their own football clubs. “I think it’s key to understand that the hijab is an essential part of a Muslim woman, should she choose to wear it,” Helal said. “It’s actually part of our identities.” Read More How ‘magic’ Lauren James can lead the new Lionesses at the Women’s World Cup England manager Sarina Wiegman reacts to ‘serious’ Keira Walsh injury As Sarina Wiegman solves one problem - a bigger one presents itself Why Keira Walsh is irreplaceable for England Bethany England: The Lionesses’ overlooked attacking threat in profile BBC pundit slams World Cup pitches after Keira Walsh injury – ‘It’s not good enough’

Captain of the German national team since 2019, Alexandra Popp has established herself as one of the stalwarts of the women’s game and the German national side since making her debut in 2010. A full-back-turned-forward, the 32-year-old will be carrying her nation’s hopes on her shoulders at the Women’s World Cup as she looks to avenge their heartbreaking defeat to England in Euro 2022 final last summer. Born in Witten, in western Germany, Popp began her fledgling football career as a student at Gesamtschule Berger Feld in Gelsenkirchen. The elite footballing school trains players for the men’s Bundesliga side, Schalke, with Popp the only female student to attend the school courtesy of a special permit. Having also played for mixed-gender teams at FC Silschede, Popp eventually got her first taste of senior football at Recklinghausen in the fourth tier of German football. Her stay there would last just one year with the then 17-year-old joining top-flight Duisburg in 2008 under the tutelage of the current national team manager, Martina Voss-Tecklenburg. Popp would enjoy a hugely successful first season, winning the UEFA Women’s Champions League and German Cup with Duisburg. She would follow that up the following season by retaining the German Cup with the season culminating in Popp making her debut for the senior national team in 2010. After two further years, Popp transferred to Wolfsburg in 2012 where she remains today. Much like her debut season at Duisburg, Popp would hit the ground running at Wolfsburg with a famous treble-winning campaign that saw her side capture the UEFA Women’s Champions League, Frauen-Bundesliga and German Cup. Her career at Wolfsburg went from strength to strength as Popp guided her side to a successful defence of the UEFA Women’s Champions League and Frauen-Bundesliga in the 2013-14 season. Whilst her Wolfsburg side may not have tasted European glory since that 2014 season, they have been the dominant force in domestic German women’s football with her side winning the German Cup for nine-straight seasons while also winning the Frauen-Bundesliga on five occasions. For the national team, Popp has also been a stalwart since her debut in 2010, scoring 62 goals in 128 appearances. Despite missing the final through injury, Popp scored eight goals as Germany went on to retain the Euros in 2013. Get all the latest Women’s World Cup odds here Having lost in the semi-finals of the 2015 World Cup, the national side would go on to claim gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics. In 2019, Popp would become captain of the national side ahead of the World Cup where they fell to Sweeden in the quarter-finals. A heartbreaking injury in the warm-up for last year’s Euros finals prevented Popp from playing as England defeated Germany in extra time. Read More FIFA Women’s World Cup fixtures and full schedule Women’s football world rankings: Who could take No 1 at the World Cup? Germany and Alexandra Popp are out for revenge - the World Cup is the perfect chance

Already one of the true legends of the women’s game, Lucy Bronze has been a regular for England since making her debut in 2013 and has played all across the park, although she is best known as a marauding right-back, overlapping Beth Mead in the Euros to often devastating effect. Born into a bilingual Portuguese-English family in Berwick-upon-Tweed, Bronze, now 31, played for Alnwick Town until she turned 12, when FA regulations prevented her from continuing to play for the boys’ team, a matter about which her coach felt so strongly he launched an unsuccessful discrimination case to challenge the rules, reluctant to lose his best player to an outmoded technicality. A multi-talented athlete in secondary school, she played at youth level for Blyth Town and Sunderland, graduating to the latter’s senior squad and winning the FA Women’s Premier League Northern Division in 2008/09 before relocating to the US to enrol at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to play for the Tar Heels, a path future LionessesAlessia Russo and Lotte Wubben-Moy would later follow. Get all the latest Women’s World Cup odds here Returning to England to complete her sports science degree at Leeds Metropolitan University, playing for the institution’s women’s team while supporting herself by working at Domino’s Pizza, Bronze then commenced her senior career in earnest with Everton in 2010. After two years, she transferred to city rivals Liverpool where she won back-to-back Women’s Super Leagues, before moving to Manchester City in 2014, where she again won the title and the FA Cup in 2016. She then moved on to France to play for all-conquering Lyon in 2017, winning the Champions League, three successive league titles, two domestic cups and finishing second in the running for the 2019 Ballon d’Or before returning to City for further cup success. A final switch to Barcelona alongside long-time teammate Keira Walsh followed last summer and the Catalans duly won the title and Champions League in Bronze’s debut season. A hugely popular and respected member of the England set up with 105 caps to her name and counting, and an Instagram account for her West Highland Terrier Narla, it could all have been so different for Lucy Bronze. As the daughter of a maths teacher, she had reportedly planned to become an accountant had football not worked out. Read More How to watch England vs Haiti: TV channel and start time for Women’s World Cup opener Women’s football world rankings: Who could take No 1 at the World Cup? FIFA Women’s World Cup fixtures and full schedule

England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton, who has just signed for Chelsea, may only be 22 but she has already packed plenty of unusual experiences into her young life. As a small child in Birmingham, Hampton was diagnosed with a strabismus, an eye condition that affects depth perception and which she underwent three surgeries to correct by the time she turned three. Then, at five, her teacher parents relocated to Spain, where she joined the Villareal youth academy, quickly learning Spanish and playing as a striker over a five-year spell. When the family returned to Britain, she transferred to Stoke City’s junior ranks and began to play in goal. After six years at Stoke, she joined Birmingham City in 2016 where she broke into the first team by proving herself a natural replacement for the German veteran Ann-Katrin Berger, becoming a first-team regular upon the latter’s retirement. Two years followed with another Midlands club, Aston Villa, before her transfer earlier this month to the West London side. She made her England debut last year in the 2022 Arnold Clark Cup draw against Spain, in which she kept a clean sheet, as she would again in her second international appearance: a 10-0 mauling of North Macedonia in April 2022. Get all the latest Women’s World Cup odds here A hugely promising keeper, Hampton will nevertheless have a major task on her hands if she hopes to usurp the mighty Mary Earps between the sticks at this World Cup. Read More How to watch England vs Haiti: TV channel and start time for Women’s World Cup opener Women’s football world rankings: Who could take No 1 at the World Cup? FIFA Women’s World Cup fixtures and full schedule

Aston Villa’s Rachel Daly is one of the most versatile members of Sarina Wiegman’s England squad – and one of its great characters – and comes into the World Cup in the form of her life, having scored 30 goals in 30 games for her club this season in all competitions to take home the Women’s Super League’s Golden Boot. The Harrogate native, 31, started with Killinghall Nomads where she was scouted by Leeds United before making her first league appearances for Lincoln City Ladies, scoring four times across 24 games in 2011 and 2012. But she first really made a name for herself in New York playing for St John’s University Red Storm in Queens, setting the college’s record goals tally of 50 despite playing in just two years out of the three she was enrolled at the institution between 2013 and 2015. Get all the latest Women’s World Cup odds here Thereafter relocating to California and turning out for the Los Angeles Strikers, the Los Angeles Blues and SoCal FC, she finally found a home at Houston Dash in Texas, making 118 appearances and scoring 42 goals across a seven-year stretch. A brief loan move to West Ham during the Covid-disrupted 2020/21 season brought a return to the UK that was made permanent when she signed for Villa in the summer of 2022. It was Phil Neville who first brought her into the international fold in 2016 and she has since gone on to make 69 appearances and score 13 goals. She starred at left-back in Wiegman’s victorious Euro 2022 team but more recently played up front during February’s Arnold Clark Cup, when her two headed goals saw England beat Italy 2-1 in game two, setting the Lionesses firmly on the path to another tournament win. She could well stay there in place of Alessia Russo, in which case Alex Greenwood would typically be expected to replace her at left-back, although she may now be needed at centre-back with Leah Williamson out and Millie Bright returning from injury. Read More How to watch England vs Haiti: TV channel and start time for Women’s World Cup opener Women’s football world rankings: Who could take No 1 at the World Cup? FIFA Women’s World Cup fixtures and full schedule

With the Lionesses’ Euro 2022-winning captain Leah Williamson forced to miss out on the World Cup through injury, coach Sarina Wiegman has entrusted the responsibility for leading the team to experienced Chelsea centre back Millie Bright. Bright has been passed fit for England’s match against Haiti after recovering from knee surgery and the defender will lead the Lionesses in their Group D opener. Now 29, Bright grew up in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, overcoming infant pneumonia and asthma to enjoy a career as a top level athlete, although her first love was equestrianism, not football. Get all the latest Women’s World Cup odds here Showing early promise when she did take to the field aged nine, she was soon scouted playing for Killamarsh Dynamos by Sheffield United and joined their academy before moving to Doncaster Rovers Belles aged 16 in 2009. Making her debut that same year and scoring on her first start, Bright spent a year on loan at Leeds Ladies before establishing herself at Doncaster, where she played with future Lionesses Mary Earps and Bethany England. In December 2014, she signed for Chelsea and has remained with the West London club ever since, picking up four Barclays Women’s Super League titles, three FA Women’s Cups and reaching the UEFA Champions League Final, scoring 14 times across 218 appearances. For England, she was an essential part of the side that reached the semi-finals of the last FIFA World Cup in France in 2019 and of last summer’s triumphant Euros team. She has represented her country, to date, 66 times and scored five international goals, striking up solid defensive partnerships with Williamson and Houghton during that time and posing a significant aerial threat from set plays. Read More How to watch England vs Haiti: TV channel and start time for Women’s World Cup opener Women’s World Cup TV schedule: How to watch every match today Women’s football world rankings: Who could take No 1 at the World Cup?

You could say England rode their luck, except that’s only because it keeps going against them. It feels the fate of this entire campaign is that just as Sarina Wiegman solves one problem - in this case through the genius of Lauren James - a bigger one presents itself. The European champions, at last, looked exactly that as well as potential world champions as the England manager got her system right to secure this 1-0 win over Denmark, only to quickly lose their one irreplaceable player. It had such a huge effect, not least on poor Keira Walsh herself. Wiegman and the rest of England will now wait for news of what this injury is, as she clearly motioned to her knee. Until then, the question will weigh there over whether you can win a World Cup without Walsh, Leah Williamson and Beth Mead. Wiegman at least has the burgeoning James, who gave one of those vintage landmark performances a young talent does in winning a World Cup game with a moment of brilliance. Her early goal was sumptuous. It is surely almost certain now to put England into the last 16, as they otherwise battled to a second successive win. That isn’t to be overlooked but it’s been a grind so far. The other side to that is that this can be good for campaigns. It’s how Spain, as an example, got through the men’s World Cup in 2010. There can be that sense of a side just learning to graft through, to answer questions. The main issue, though, is that Wiegman possibly faces the biggest question of all. How many times can she keep refitting this team in the face of absences to keep it at champion level? Until there is actually confirmation of Walsh’s injury, it is almost futile to speculate, beyond the discussion of the facts. The 26-year-old immediately knew something was wrong, as she could be seen signaling that she had to come off as she motioned to her knee. It didn’t look good. The great frustration, that is almost always the case in these situations, was that it happened from something so innocuous. Walsh reached for a ball near the centre circle. That did point to one of the only weaknesses in England’s game up to that point. As against Haiti, they had been that bit looser at the back. The other frustration was that it had been the only issue with England up to then. They looked so much better than in that first match. The first 25 minutes were a hugely convincing period of football. There was obviously the benefit of finally having 90 minutes of competitive football to hone them, something that has been a factor in a lot of this World Cup. The better squads have felt the effects of not playing proper games for two months. There was more to it than that, though. With Wiegman going for the typically innovative move of putting the Women’s Super League top scorer at left-back, and with James on the left, there was so much more balance to the side. It looked like it fit again. In her more natural position, James knew exactly where to go, what areas to create real danger in. That was illustrated within minutes, as she got the ball just outside the box and curled the most divine strike around Lene Christensen. It was no less than England deserved. The mood was right. The approach was forceful. They looked a threat in every move forward. It seemed like a statement victory - like that which Spain, Germany and Brazil have offered - could be on. The only slight concern was how those issues remained at the back. There’s just that greater laxness. It didn’t help the confidence around this that Rikke Marie Madsen almost scored with Denmark’s first meaningful attack. The turn to create the chance was admittedly supreme, and it required something so mercurial to make it happen. It was more how fragile the lead seemed, as against Haiti. The mood soon changed entirely, as Walsh went down. It became a different game. Denmark sensed some opportunity. England just sought to get through it. This was entirely understandable. They’d lost their one tactically essentially player and felt her anguish. They’d lost their system. It asked a lot of the players. By the end, they were trudging through, Denmark doing all the running. One overlap produced the cross that almost undermined all of England’s efforts. The ball was flighted so invitingly for Amalie Vangsgaard, whose header bounced off the other side of the post. It was a let-off. It was also another test passed, if just about. It could be said England were lucky. The squad might point to everything else happening around them. They can also, almost certainly, point to a last-16 place top of the group. Read More England vs Denmark LIVE: Women’s World Cup latest score as Lauren James curls in Lionesses opener BBC pundit slams Women’s World Cup pitches after Keira Walsh injury – ‘It’s not good enough’ England lose the one player who is impossible to replace England manager Sarina Wiegman reacts to ‘serious’ Keira Walsh injury Why Keira Walsh is irreplaceable for England Bethany England: The Lionesses’ overlooked attacking threat in profile

England boss Sarina Wiegman remains “concerned” about injured Keira Walsh after the midfielder was stretchered off in the Lionesses’ 1-0 World Cup Group D victory over Denmark in Sydney. Walsh, a 2023 Champions League winner with Barcelona, started every game of England’s triumphant Euro 2022 campaign and could clearly be seen telling the team’s medical staff “I’ve done my knee” after sliding to collect the ball late in the first half. The worrying scene dampened the elated atmosphere that followed Lauren James’ sixth-minute opener, a maiden World Cup goal for the 21-year-old Chelsea forward. Wiegman said: “Of course I’m concerned because she couldn’t walk off the pitch, but we don’t know yet, so we can’t take any assumptions. Let’s just wait until we really have a diagnosis and then we can tell you. “You saw what we did, (Georgia) Stanway dropped back and Laura (Coombs) came in. Yes, of course we had to find our feet a little bit. “You saw different stages. We really dominated the first half. Then Keira went out and we had to adapt to the situation. “In the second half, Denmark also had such a direct style of play. We also showed we can fight. The team showed real resilience. We kept it to 1-0 so it was really good and I’m really proud of the team.” Walsh later appeared on crutches, with ex-England striker-turned-pundit Ellen White telling the BBC: “(At the 2022 Euros) Everything came through Keira. There wasn’t a plan B. “I dreaded to think of the idea of us ever losing her because she was one of our best players. Beth Mead was scoring all the goals but all of our play came through Keira. She was the key cog, everything moved through her. “I just don’t know who England are going to have now in that six (defensive midfield position), or even potential double six, role.” Asked about White’s comments, Wiegman simply restated: “You saw the plan B. Georgia Stanway drops back and Laura Coombs comes in.” An update on Walsh is not expected until Saturday at the earliest. Wiegman fielded the same starting XI for every match of the Euros, but made two changes for the world number-four Lionesses’ second World Cup encounter against 13th-ranked Denmark. James replaced Lauren Hemp on the left wing while Rachel Daly returned to the familiar left-back role she occupied for every match of the European Championship, and Alex Greenwood shifted to centre-back. Wiegman’s decisions were almost instantly justified when Daly slipped the ball to James, who curled past Denmark goalkeeper Lene Christensen for what ultimately proved enough to settle the result after Amalie Vangsgaard’s header for a last-gasp equaliser clipped the post. Wiegman likes to stress football is a full-squad endeavour, but did say of James, younger sister of fellow England international Reece James: “She has done really well but it is a team effort too and we were very careful with her. “She is a very young, talented player. And yes, we were happy with the performance and she was ready today, so that was really good. “Of course the approach of this game, we know that Denmark was dropping a little deeper, that they have a very tight, defensive block and we really thought we needed to play it in the pockets. “That’s where she came a lot together also with Stanway and (Ella) Toone, and that worked really well. They really struggled with that, and yes, she made indeed a very nice goal.” Denmark boss Lars Sondergaard extended his condolences to Walsh, and felt that while her absence perhaps led to a second-half surge from his side as England adjusted, the threat from players like James highlights how difficult it is to come up against the Lionesses. He said: “After Keira Walsh, that’s always if you have to close one down, there’s another player. I think England has such a good team, they have always players that if you give too much notice on one player, other players will come up.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Stonewall hopes Jordan Henderson speaks out about LGBTQ+ rights after Saudi move Joe Root takes stunning catch but Australia stifle England in fifth Ashes Test Riyad Mahrez becomes latest Premier League star to complete Saudi Arabia move

England manager Sarina Wiegman confirmed Keira Walsh suffered a “serious” injury against Denmark after the key Lionesses midfielder was stretchered off during the first half of their Women’s World Cup win. Walsh was left on crutches after her studs caught on the turf and she went down holding her right knee, an injury which is likely to rule the Barcelona star out for the rest of the World Cup. The 26-year-old was England’s player of the match when the Lionesses won the Euros last summer and is pivotal to the team’s chances of winning the World Cup in Australia. Wiegman was unable to provide an update on the extent of Walsh’s injury but confirmed the midfielder is likely to have a scan in the coming days. “It did look serious so if you can’t walk off the pitch it’s serious,” Wiegman said after England’s 1-0 win against Denmark. “I don’t know, we’ve just finished the game. “I haven’t heard anything yet. During the game you have to move on and now it is time to look at how she is and the next steps. England’s record goalscorer Ellen White said on the BBC that Walsh was the most important player in England’s Euros winning campaign last summer and that there was no “Plan B” without the midfielder. “Everything came through Keira,” White said. “I dreaded to think of the idea of us ever losing her because she was one of our best players. Beth Mead was scoring all the goals but all of our play came through Keira. “She was the key cog, everything moved through her. I just don’t know who England are going to have now in that six, or even potential double six, role.” Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall also said on the BBC that Walsh’s injury was a “travesty” to England’s chances of winning the World Cup. Eidevall had suggested that the dry pitch at the Sydney Football Stadium may have played a part in Walsh’s injury. “I think it looks very dry,” Eidevall said. “You could see on the movement that when she [Walsh] tries to slide with her right foot, it stops and then twists her knee. “I think another example of that was the celebration for the first goal. Lauren James tries to knee slide but when she does that on the pitch, she just stops and falls over. “It looks funny but it’s a danger to player welfare to have such a dry pitch. It should allow you to slide through. It’s not good enough. “I’m a big advocate of watering the pitches, it makes the passes go faster but it also prevents situations like this. It’s these stopping mechanisms that a lot of the time cause these serious injuries.” England survived a couple of late scares against Denmark and are on the verge of reaching the knockout stages - a position that could be confirmed later today if China fail to beat Haiti in Group D. "We started well, we played well and scored the goal and then we had a little stage in the first half [where] we lost balls we didn’t have to lose,” Wiegman added. "Then we had the horrible moment with Keira. Second half was a fight and the team showed we adapted to the new situation and we had to fight to win. I am very proud of the team." Read More England find World Cup balance but more adversity leaves one defining question England lose the one player who is impossible to replace BBC pundit slams Women’s World Cup pitches after Keira Walsh injury – ‘It’s not good enough’ England find balance but more adversity leaves one defining question England lose the one player who is impossible to replace Bethany England: The Lionesses’ overlooked attacking threat in profile

Lauren James’ maiden World Cup goal was enough for England to maintain their 100 per cent record in Group D with a 1-0 victory over Denmark at the Sydney Football Stadium. The Chelsea forward struck the sixth-minute opener, but England suffered a major blow after 38 minutes when midfielder Keira Walsh was stretchered off with an apparent knee injury and later appeared on the touchline using crutches. James’ goal was England’s first from open play since April’s Finalissima at Wembley, while Denmark came within inches of a last-gasp leveller when Amalie Vangsgaard’s header clipped the post. England now have to wait for the result of China and Haiti in the late kick-off to learn if they have advanced to the knockouts with a match to spare. Sarina Wiegman stuck with the same starting line-up for every game of the Lionesses’ Euro 2022-winning campaign, but she shook things up against Denmark with two changes from England’s 1-0 tournament opener against Haiti. James, who came on as a substitute in that match for her World Cup debut, replaced Lauren Hemp on the left wing while Rachel Daly returned to a more familiar left-back where she started every match of the European Championships. That pushed Alex Greenwood to centre back, leaving Jess Carter looking on from the bench after starting against Haiti. Wiegman’s decisions were almost instantly justified when Daly slipped the ball to James, who curled past Denmark goalkeeper Lene Christensen. Ella Toone nearly set up James for a second soon after, but this time the 21-year-old was only able to drill a low attempt into Christiansen’s arms. With England largely dictating play, Denmark’s first real chance of an equaliser came when Rikke Madsen collected the ball and pivoted on the right edge of the penalty area but sent her effort across the face of goal. Lars Sondergaard’s side were picking up the pace with Janni Thomsen firing over and ex-Chelsea forward and Denmark skipper Pernille Harder denied by Mary Earps, while at the other end Lucy Bronze nodded Chloe Kelly’s corner over. Then came what could be a devastating blow to Wiegman’s side when Walsh slid to collect the ball and was in immediate pain when she stopped. Walsh waved off help from her team-mates as she could clearly be seen telling the team’s medical staff: “I’ve done my knee.” The Champions League winner, named player-of-the-match in the Euro 2022 final, was stretchered off and replaced by Manchester City’s Laura Coombs. Harder rolled an effort wide to end the first half, while Kathrine Kuhl could not find the finishing touch for Denmark after the restart. Alessia Russo came close to extending England’s advantage when she collected the ball in midfield and drove down the pitch before firing wide of the near post from 12 yards. Earps, who made a vital save to deny Haiti a late leveller, was tested again when she parried Katrine Veje’s cross – which seemed destined to clip the crossbar – out of harm’s way. Both Toone and Russo’s shifts came to an end after 77 minutes as Hemp came on for the former and Russo was replaced by Beth England, who was part of the Lionesses European Championship-winning squad but did not play a single minute. The Spurs striker directed a header wide and Bronze missed from a late attempt from distance. The Lionesses narrowly avoided late drama when a pair of Denmark substitutes nearly combined for an equaliser, but to their relief Vangsgaard’s header from Nicoline Sorensen’s cross came back off the right post, and a leaping save from Earps in four minutes of stoppage time sealed another too-close-for-comfort result. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Diogo Dalot to ‘fulfil responsibility’ of bringing success to Manchester United ‘Matter of when not whether’ UK hosts Women’s World Cup – sports minister Ryan Reynolds reaches out to Manchester United keeper after Paul Mullin injury

The state of the pitches at the Women’s World Cup have been heavily criticised after England star Keira Walsh suffered what appeared to be a serious knee injury during the Lionesses’ game against Denmark. Midfielder Walsh got her boot stuck in the turf during the first half at Allianz Stadium in Sydney and twisted her knee as she fell to the ground. The 26-year-old looked to be in serious pain and was eventually stretchered off, replaced by Laura Coombs. The incident comes amid growing concern about the number of ACL tears in women’s football with the likes of England captain Leah Williamson, winger Beth Mead, Netherlands superstar Vivianne Miedema, Canada forward Janine Beckie and USA’s rising Cat Macario just some of those missing the tournament with that specific injury. Speaking on the BBC at half-time of England vs Denmark, pundit Jonas Eidevall – who is head coach at Arsenal – slammed the state of the pitches as “not good enough” and believes the turf needs to be watered to improve player welfare. “I think it looks very dry,” said Eidevall. “You could see on the movement that when she [Walsh] tries to slide with her right foot, it stops and then twists her knee. “I think another example of that was the celebration for the first goal. Lauren James tries to knee slide but when she does that on the pitch, she just stops and falls over. “It looks funny but it's a danger to player welfare to have such a dry pitch. It should allow you to slide through. It's not good enough. “I'm a big advocate of watering the pitches, it makes the passes go faster but it also prevents situations like this. It’s these stopping mechanisms that a lot of the time cause these serious injuries.” England led 1-0 when Walsh’s injury occurred and if she is ruled out for the remainder of the World Cup, that would be a huge blow to the Lionesses’ chances of lifting the title. The Barcelona midfielder is the beating heart of England’s midfield and speaking as a pundit for the BBC, ex-Lioness Ellen White commiserated with her former teammate. "I'm devastated for her to be honest,” said White. “She's been one of the best if not the best player for England. She knew it didn't look good. She'll be a big miss. I'm devastated for her." Walsh had expressed her concern about the number of injuries being suffered in an interview earlier this month and urged greater resource to be poured into the game. “I think there is a massive worry,” Walsh said at the time. “Look at the resources the men have as well, I don’t think that’s available to us and we are being asked to play close to what they play in a season now without the kind of resources behind it. “The medical teams, they work so hard but it’s impossible to keep everybody fresh all the time and we’re playing so many games and I think – with the introduction of the Nations League as well – it’s going to be difficult and you see how many ACL injuries there have been and how many players are getting injured. “I would be lying if I say it’s not a worry for me every time I go on the pitch that I’m going to get injured next.” Read More England vs Denmark LIVE: Women’s World Cup latest score after Lauren James goal and Keira Walsh injury England sweat on Keira Walsh fitness amid avalanche of ACL injuries impacting Women’s World Cup Keira Walsh fears injury ‘every time I go on the pitch’ due to increased load England sweat on Keira Walsh fitness after ACL injuries impact World Cup Laura Coombs: England’s unlikely midfield general in profile Keira Walsh not focused on personal treble as England chase World Cup glory