On a cool winter Sydney evening that was marred by yet more injury woes for England, Lauren James increased the temperature in the stadium with a dazzling display that announced her emergence on to the global stage. Her early goal stunned Denmark and set Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses on course for a 1-0 win that left them on the verge of progression to the knockout stages of the World Cup.
At just 21, James is the future of this England team, and it was only really a question of “when” rather than “if” she was going to make her mark on this tournament. Despite being involved in the senior setup for just under a year, she is, as Leah Williamson so aptly put it, their “cheat code”. On her World Cup debut against Haiti, she had injected life into the Lionesses’ rather stop-start opening performance as a substitute. It was a display that forced Wiegman into a rare change to her starting lineup.
