And Sophie Lawson on Scotland …

I’ll leave you with our reporter’s take on England’s World Cup win in their opening match against Scotland. Thanks for your emails. Bye.

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David Wall writes: “Did I watch a different game from the analysts on TV. I thought England were excellent, especially in the first half, and especially down both flanks. True they seemed to tire a bit in the second half, but I thought they were always in control even if not as dynamic as in the first half. Their finishing needs improving a bit, though credit to the Scottish ‘keeper.”

England manager Phil Neville wasn’t very happy with the second half:

I was pleased with the result. The first game is always the most important game. We set standards and we cannot drop below the standards otherwise we get second-half performances like that. We’ve got to be relentless now. We want to be here for 37 days. I’m the biggest problem. The standards start with me. I think at 2-0 in this heat, we thought it was going to be easy in the second half. It’s a lesson that every game in this World Cup is going to be difficult. The concern I had was that I wanted us to pass the ball and get control. We only did that with five minutes remaining.

Scotland manager Shelley Kerr has this to say:

England, I’ve tipped to win this, so to run them so close was good. England played with intensity and put us under pressure. We showed what we were capable of in the second half. I don’t want to comment [on the VAR-awarded penalty]. The officials have a tough job. I want to applaud the players for their second-half performance. We have to win one game. It doesn’t have to be this one. We prepare for Japan now.

Well, that was much tighter than Phil Neville would have liked. The Scotland goalkeeper Lee Alexander denied England time and again, giving her teammates the platform to get back in the game through Claire Emslie’s second-half goal. Much will be made of the VAR-awarded penalty that Nikita Parris scored in the first half but it was a penalty as far as I’m concerned. The result was a fair one. England could probably have played better and Neville will have much he would like his side to improve on but an opening win is an opening win.

90+4 min: Scotland have the ball on the left but as Beattie looks to play the ball into the box the referee blows the whistle. England are victorious.

90+3 min: England pop, pop, pop the ball around the chasing Scotland midfielders as they look to secure the three points by keeping Scotland off the ball.

90+2 min: Scott wastes a few seconds in the corner, using her strength to hold the ball. She finds Parris behind her, who races inside and tees up Stanway, whose right-footed shot curls just wide.

90+1 min: There’ll be four minutes of stoppage time. Can Scotland find an equaliser?

90 min: Abhijato Sensarma thinks three is the magic number: “There have been three matches played in the Women’s World Cup today. All have seen three goals scored in total. A penalty was scored in each match too, and three were scored in the entire day. They were more similar than one would realise!” It’s not over yet Abhijato, though England have a free-kick in Scotland’s half and are doing all they can to run the clock down.

88 min: Scotland are having loads of possession but they can’t get out of their own half. But then “Thump!” A long ball forwards breaks the England press and Scotland probe down the right, before conceding a throw deep in the England half.

87 min: Arnot is on for Murray, who appears to have picked up a knock. “This is a cracking game,” writes Paul Byatt. “In fact it’s another cracking game in this World Cup. The Brazil and Jamaica goalkeepers really did dispel the myth that women cant be good shot-stoppers, they were excellent. Re the England Band. It can only be good that they are absent. Everything about them screams corporate tosh of the highest level.”

85 min: England’s game management has been good since they conceded. They have kept possession diligently and given Scotland little opportunity to get out of their own half.

84 min: Alexander makes a smart take from a deep cross by Greenwood. She has been superb in goal, her saves have given Scotland the platform to get back in this game.

83 min: Neville takes Mead off and brings Stanway on as he tries to bring a little zen-like calm into England’s play. His side win a corner … and then another as Stanway’s first touch is to knock the ball of a Scotland defender and behind.

80 min: Houghton gave the ball away sloppily in the buildup to Scotland’s goal. It was a loose pass into midfield that Evans nicked away. She has caused Scotland so many problems in the past five minutes.

Well, she made up for that wastefulness all right! Evans drives through the England midfield and prods a pass behind England’s defence to Emslie on the right edge of the box. She just nips in ahead of McManus and Greenwood and sidefoots high into the roof of the net from eight yards. Game on!

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View image in fullscreen

75 min: Lisa Evans prods a shot at goal after a bright attack down the left. And then moments later, Little pulls the strings and finds Evans on the left again. She takes a a touch and lofts a ball to the back post, where Emslie is free, but she wastes a good chance to find a teammate inside her and hooks a shot over the bar with a tired waft of her left leg.

74 min: Kerr replaces Howard with Chloe Arthur. She’s now withdrawn both full-backs, highlighting just how much they have had to do to counter England’s bright attacks down the flanks.

72 min: Carney is on for Mead. It’s Carney’s 141st England appearance, making her the second-most capped England player of all time behind Fara Williams, on 170.

70 min: It’s a deep corner by Greenwood that is headed back towards goal. White is alert and pounces, stretching to hook a shot past Alexander, but the Scotland goalkeeper stretches every sinew and makes a brilliantly athletic save.

69 min: Greenwood tries to shift the ball past Emslie and fire in a cross from the left, but the Scotland midfielder is alert and deflects the ball out for a corner.

68 min: “A hooter goes in the crowd and makes me realise another reason to enjoy this game – the England brass band are absent, presumably refused entry for reasons of musical talent, aesthetic style, and simple good sense,” writes Charles Antaki. “One of the French authorities’ best decisions of the competition so far.”

67 min: It’s another deep one, that causes England problems. The ball is only half cleared and Corsie slams a shot at goal that is blocked bravely. This is sustained pressure by Scotland. They need to make it tell.

66 min: Weir loops an inswinger towards the backpost, where Bardsley stretches to punch clear. Another corner!

65 min: Cuthbert has done a magnificent job on her own up front. At times she has held off two England defenders as she has tried to keep possession and give her midfielders a chance to support her. Not that they have been able to assist her as much as she’d like. A corner for Scotland. Their first!

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64 min: Emslie tries to trick her way past Greenwood on the right wing, but the England defender forces her inside, where a left-footed cross is blocked. England clear.

62 min: Little is caught late by Mead, who stays on the floor after perhaps overstretching as she tried to nick possession off Scotland’s playmaker. In fact, it looks like cramp. She may run it off.

59 min: Little is starting to grow in influence, connecting the dots for Scotland and moving her side forward with some neat touches and clever passes. She finds Evans on the right, but her attempted cross is blocked after some diligent defending by Greenwood.

57 min: Scotland get numbers forwards at last and Emslie has their first shot at goal, a tame effort from the right that goes straight at Bardsley. But from small acorns etc and so on.

55 min: Bright can’t continue and is replaced by McManus. And for Scotland, Docherty, who has been tormented by Parris, is replaced by Smith.

53 min: England continue to dominate possession even while they are a player down. But then Houghton is caught in possession. Cuthbert, again, the player who nicks the ball and drives forwards. She looks up, though, and sees only one player in the box. Her cross is gathered comfortably by Bardsley.

50 min: Bright is receiving treatment after landing awkwardly on a shoulder. She’s taken off temporarily. Bronze is covering at centre-back while Bright receives further assistance off the field. Can Scotland take advantage while they have an extra player?

48 min: Cuthbert is too strong for bright on the right, levering her bigger rival out of the way with great tenacity, before cutting inside but lacking support again. The ball is eventually worked backwards but England increase the pressure and bring the Scotland attack to a halt.

47 min: Docherty clatters in to Parris and is booked for her trouble. Parris might be minded to attack Docherty with even more vigour now. One more late tackle and it could be game over for the Scotland full-back.

46 min: England have the ball in the net within 30 seconds. White squares for Mead, who drills the ball home. But replays show White was a smidgin offside in the buildup.

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45 min: England get us under way. Phil Neville will be content with what he has seen s far. Shelley Kerr will want her team to get more players up in support of Cuthbert.

“I’m grateful for Matt Dony’s comments, but he is obviously still drunk from Madrid,” writes Simon McMahon. “How else would he write an email which juxtaposes the words ‘Scottish’ and ‘success’?” Erm, Andy Robertson?

England deserve a two-goal lead. Parris’s penalty set them on their way and from thereonin England dominated. Parris and Bronze sprinkled a bit of stardust on their play on the right and pushed Scotland deeper into their own half. The move for White’s second goal originated on the right. Scotland need to deal with that threat before they can go forwards themselves. I’ll be back shortly.

45+2 min: Parris, who has been a constant menace, whips a ball in behind the Scotland defence that Corsie does well to toe away ahead of White. The corner is worked back to Walsh, who slams a shot at goal from 25 yards that flies over the bar. And that’s that for the first half. .

45+1 min: Weir lofts a cross in towards Cuthbert but it’s beyond her and rolls out for a goal-kick.

45 min: Mead whips an inviting ball in from the right that sails over Alexander to the back post, where Kirby tries to connect but Scotland scramble away.

43 min: Beattie is booked for scything Parris down on the right wing. That was a tackle that was 99% frustration.

41 min: Scotland have a chance to get back into the game straight away as Walsh is caught in possession. The ball is fed to Cuthbert, who drives a low shot past Bardsley in goal but also a foot wide of the far post. That was sloppy by England.

Corsie fails to win a tackle with Kirby on the edge of the box and Scotland are punished, as White picks up possession, watched Alexander race from her line and bends the ball around her and into the left corner. A lovely finish and probably a fair reflection of England’s dominance.

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View image in fullscreen

36 min: It’s played short and then Alexander is fouled as Greenwood lofts in a cross towards Scott, who is adjudged to have been leaning on the Scotland goalkeeper.

35 min: Scotland roll their sleeves up and win the ball back on the left and from there they begin to build an attack. It’s an attack that fizzles out when Weir rolls a sloppy pass back into midfield that England pick off. Moments later, Scotland have a corner to defend.