England ground out a 1-0 victory against Haiti in their opening match at the Women’s World Cup.A penalty from Georgia Stanway was the only goal in a chaotic match often interrupted by VAR.The Lionesses were first denied a penalty after Alessia Russo fouled an opposition player in the build-up, but they then had one awarded following Batcheba Louis’s handball in the box.Haiti goalkeeper Kerly Theus saved Stanway’s first attempt, but was judged to have stepped off her line early.A relieved Stanway buried her second spot kick, and her goal turned out to be the winner as England were repeatedly frustrated by Haiti.Teenage sensation Melchie Dumornay was a constant thorn in the side of the Lionesses, who had to rely heavily on the heroics of goalkeeper Mary Earps to keep a clean sheet.Boss Sarina Wiegman would have been relieved to hear the full-time whistle, but this quickly turned into confusion as it became apparent the referee had blown early.
Referee accidentally blows final whistle early during England vs Haiti
The referee Emikar Caldera had added four minutes to the end of the scrappy encounter between England and Haiti at Brisbane Stadium, but blew her whistle 15 seconds before this time was up.
The players started to run towards each other to shake hands, but the referee then appeared to realise her mistake.
After a period of confusion, Caldera decided to award a dropped ball. But she then blew the full-time whistle again just seconds later, after England had played only one pass.
One explanation for the bizarre incident is that the whistle sound actually came from a fan in the crowd, but this has not been confirmed.
Have a watch of the strange moment in the video below.
England’s Women’s World Cup gets off to rocky start
The Lionesses will have to improve on today’s performance if they hope to even reach the knockout stages of the Women’s World Cup.
Haiti was hypothetically supposed to be England’s ‘easiest’ match, with the side 49 places below the European champions in FIFA’s world rankings.
The Lionesses still have Denmark and China to play in Group D, both of whom are within the world’s top 15.
It will be a concern that England haven’t scored from open play in four matches, despite the goalscoring exploits of strikers Alessia Russo, Rachel Daly and Beth England in the most recent season of the Women’s Super League.
Who is Melchie Dumornay?
Dumornay was the stand-out star of the match between England and Haiti, proving why she’s one of the most highly-regarded young players in women’s football.
The 19-year-old joined Reims in Division 1 Féminine, rapidly progressing from playing football barefoot in the streets of Haiti to becoming a star in the French top flight.
European giants Lyon soon came knocking, signing a pre-contract with Dumornay at the start of 2023. The teenage sensation will make her debut for the team after the Women’s World Cup.
For now, her focus will be on helping Haiti overcome the odds and reach the knockout stages of the ongoing tournament.