Former champions Japan have romped to a 5-0 win over Zambia in their Women's World Cup opener at Hamilton's Waikato Stadium, outclassing the debutant Africans with a slick display of pass-and-move football.
Hinata Miyazawa scored twice and fellow forward Mina Tanaka found the net in the second half, after having two earlier efforts called back for offside by the video official.
Winger Jun Endo added the fourth in the 71st minute and substitute Riko Ueki got the fifth from a penalty in stoppage time, after Zambia goalkeeper Catherine Musonda had been dismissed for two yellow cards.
Japan join Spain, who beat Costa Rica 3-0 at Wellington, at the top of Group C, before their second match of the tournament against the Central Americans at Dunedin on Wednesday.
"Five-nil is good, but getting the three points for the win was really satisfying," said Japan coach Futoshi Ikeda.
"Many of our squad were inspired by the 2011 Nadeshiko team, when they were growing. We would like to take up the challenge again, to be the champions."
Winners of the 2011 World Cup and runners-up in 2015, Japan lined up in an attacking 3-5-1 formation and looked like a team on a mission from the start. They had already drawn two fines saves from Musonda, hit the post and had a Tanaka goal ruled out, before Miyazawa struck for the first time in the 43rd minute.
Playmaker Yui Hasegawa sent Aoba Fujino racing down the right flank and the winger curled a beautiful cross into the box, which Miyazawa lashed into the net. Tanaka had another goal chalked off for offside in the 49th minute and the video official also called back a penalty awarded to Japan a couple of minutes later.
Thai-born striker Tanaka finally got a goal that counted in the 55th minute, sliding Endo's cross from the left into the right corner of the net. Tanaka also got the assist on Miyazawa's second goal in the 62nd minute, pulling the ball back from the byline to allow her teammate the simplest of finishes.
The Nadeshiko were finding space behind the Zambian defence almost at will in the last 20 minutes and a Hasegawa pass found Endo all on her own, with only Musonda to beat for the fourth goal 19 minutes from time.
Ueki needed two attempts to convert the late penalty that saw Musonda sent off, substitute goalkeeper Eunice Sakala saving the first, but penalised for encroachment.
Zambia captain Barbra Banda, who scored the winner when they beat twice World Cup winners Germany two weeks ago, struck an isolated figure up front and the Africans did not register a single shot at goal.
"We have not played well this evening," said Zambia coach Bruce Mwape. "It's not the end of the world, I'm sure we can still come back and fight for a qualification spot."
England 1 Haiti 0
England's Georgia Stanway has made sure her retaken penalty counted to give the Lionesses victory over debutants Haiti in a dramatic Women's World Cup opener for both teams at Brisbane's Lang Park.
Stanway stepped up to the penalty spot twice, after Haiti goalkeeper Kerly Theus moved off her line early in saving the Bayern Munich player's first attempt, awarded after a handball.
The midfielder shrugged off the miss, tucking her second into the far corner to the delight of the many England fans in the crowd - and coach Sarina Wiegman, who pumped a fist in celebration.
Wiegman's Lionesses are ranked fourth - 49 spots above fledglings Haiti - and are considered among the World Cup favourites, as the reigning European champions.
"The most important thing to come out of it is the three points," said Stanway.
"It's so important to win your first game, going into a tournament. It's been a long build-up to today and I think we're kind of happy to just get over the line."
England almost had a penalty earlier in the game, when Chloe Kelly was taken down in the box by Dayana Pierre-Louis, with TV cameras showing what looked like a raking stud mark down her shin, but the video referee spotted Alessia Russo clipping an opponent in the build-up.
Stanway's penalty ended a streak of England misses from the spot at World Cups, including two from Nikita Parris and one from Steph Houghton at the 2019 tournament, where the Lionesses finished fourth. England's best result in five previous appearances in the global showcase was bronze in 2015.
England had numerous excellent scoring chances, including Lauren Hemp's header late in the first half that sailed just wide of the post.
The European champions dominated the second half, but were either thwarted by the 1.62m (5ft 4in) Theus - who leapt high to tip a Russo header over the bar - or their own profligacy, such as captain Millie Bright's shot well over the bar.
Goalkeeper Mary Earps ensured the win, when she made a superb late save, stretching to get a toe on a shot by Roseline Eloissaint that had the Haitians in the crowd of 44,369 gasping.
"It was a very hard game, I'm very happy with the three points," Wiegman told ITV. "They were very unpredictable, very transitional... and we struggled with that.
"We want to finish our chances. We did it with the penalty, which was good, because the win is the most important thing."
England next face Denmark on July 28 and China on August 1. Haiti play China on July 28.
Denmark 1 China 0
Substitute Amalie Vangsgaard has headed home a last-minute goal to give Denmark a winning start to their first Women's World Cup campaign since 2007, with victory against China at Perth Oval.
The Paris St Germain forward, who was brought on five minutes earlier, found the back of the net with a long-range header from a Pernille Harder corner to break the deadlock in the 90th minute.
Playing her first World Cup, Harder was a prominent forward presence for the Danes, who controlled possession, but found it difficult to carve out clear chances.
The first genuine scoring opportunity from either side in a scrappy contest came in the 52nd minute, when Denmark's Josefine Hasbo failed to keep a header down in front of an open goal, giving China an almighty reprieve.
The reigning Asian champions played with a greater sense of urgency, after bringing forward Wang Shuang on, but came close to conceding an own goal in the 76th minute, when a clearing header from skipper Wang Shanshan whistled past the post.
Reuters
