England Defeat Denmark 2-0 Ahead of 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup

England warmed up for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup with a hard-fought 2-0 win over Denmark in an international friendly at Banks's Stadium on Saturday. 

Goals from Nikita Parris and Jill Scott gave Lionesses a useful confidence boost ahead if the start of the tournament in June.

The finishing touch routinely deserted England during a drab opening 45 minutes. While composure was lacking in front of goal, the pace of passing was also sluggish.

Denmark came closest to taking advantage from set-piece situations, but goalkeeper Karen Bardsley proved her worth. She displayed safe handling, despite obvious nerves among the defenders in front of her whenever the Danes launched deliveries into the box.

Jittery marking seemingly allowed Signe Bruun to give Denmark a worthy lead, only for the forward to be judged to have used her hand. It was a warning the hosts soon heeded.

England hardly deserved to be in front at the break, but Parris deserves plaudits for reacting quickest when a rare chance came her way:

Her sharp shot on the turn showcased the growing confidence of a player enjoying a terrific season at both club and international level:

England didn't up the tempo after the restart, with manager Phil Neville visibly frustrated at the lack of impetus in his team's play. It was still taking too long to move the ball through the lines from midfield to those at the front.

The visitors continued to feel confident their direct game would yield something. Yet those hopes were dashed when Georgia Stanway wisely rejected the chance to play another safe pass and instead drove through the middle before releasing Beth Mead out wide.

Mead's cross from the left was met emphatically by the head of Scott:

While the performance wasn't wowing onlookers, some did salute the opportunism of an England team that was ruthlessly efficient in the area of the pitch that matters most:

It's a reasonable point because Neville's team looks difficult to break down but also woefully short on guile. Lacking the latter will increase the pressure on England to take whatever chances come their way when facing superior opposition during the World Cup.

What's Next?

England host New Zealand on June 1 in a final warm-up before facing Scotland to open their group-stage game at the World Cup.

Denmark aren't in action until they face Malta in a qualification match for the UEFA Women's Championship on August 29.