Haiti exit the World Cup after 1-0 defeat to China. Photo Credit: FIFA via instagram.
Haiti were dealt a crushing blow in their 1-0 defeat to China, which saw the debutants drop out of the World Cup at the group stages. A conceded penalty saw them trail 1-0 out the game and the competition, despite late penalty drama which if given, may have seen them stay in the group.
Haiti would have been quietly confident walking into this match after a huge debut performance against England, which saw them lose out on points through a penalty. They were still searching for their first World Cup goal after becoming agonisingly close, but denied by Mary Earps. Their pace and physicality had people doubting whether China would keep up with the spritely team.
China also needed to claim points in this game to keep their hopes of making it through the group stages of the competition. Despite having a long pedigree of success, the side only secured two wins in 2023, both against Russia who did not qualify for the World Cup. Their opening game against Denmark was a frustrating one, conceding late on to lose 1-0, so they’d be looking for a dominant display in this game to put things right.
Haiti faced their first huge loss as Lyon wonderkid Melchie Dumornay was not named in the starting 11, instead on the sidelines with a ‘minor injury’, and was replaced by Ruthny Mathurin. Dumornay was responsible for the heavy counter-attacks in their impressive performance versus England, and her absence was definitely noticed in this match. Jennyfer Limage was also replaced by defender Ruthny Mathurin, following the devastating blow that she had ruptured her ACL in Haiti’s first game in the World Cup.
China made one change following their 1-0 defeat to Denmark, replacing midfielder Zhang Xin with Yao Lingwei. Having failed to score in their last 3 World Cup games, the 14th-ranked side would have been looking to capitalise on Haiti’s subsided attack without Dumornay, but Haiti’s strong performance against England meant they would not have underestimated their opposition. With Jaihui Lou and Wu Chengshu leading the front line as expected, China looked an organised team but not a major threat going forward. Their defence needed to be sharp against such a demanding Haitian attack, so it was no surprise that Li Mengwen was named in the 11. The 28-year-old already has experience against some of the biggest attacking threats during her loan spell with PSG.
The game began in Haiti’s favour as China’s Zhang Rui was awarded a red card just before the half hour mark for a dangerous foul. Despite going down to 10 players, China held on, happy to dominate possession and take their chances at the right time, as Haiti would have expected. Haiti still seemed a threat on the counter-attacks when they did have the ball, but less effective with the absence of Dumornay, showing how crucial the 19-year-old is in this team.
With no goals at half-time, China made the substitution of Wang Shuang for Wang Chengshu, to give them more attacking depth. The experienced midfielder is a prominent goal-scorer for her country, also known in the NWSL, playing for Racing Louisville. Haiti also made the substitution of Dumornay coming on for Maudeline Moryl, despite her minor injury. Whether this was planned in advance or simply because Haiti would exit the competition if they failed to pick up points, Dumornay certainly made Haiti seem much more dangerous on the attack, the youth bringing the pace and power that China did not seem prepared for.
Haiti also held onto more possession in the second half, overall managing 7 shots compared to China’s 8, however just 1 aimed on target. With elimination in the back of their minds, they seemed determined to get something out of this game, and both sides appeared more frantic. However some panic defending in the 73rd minute gifted China a penalty. It was no surprise that experienced Shuang stepped up, and slotted the ball in the bottom left hand side. A tough moment for goalkeeper Theus, who moved the wrong way too early. Many Haitians would have held confidence in the keeper’s abilities after a incredible performance against England. Despite coming off her line, her save against Georgia Stanway’s first penalty looked a promising sign, if she went the right way,
Haiti looked far from defeated after conceding, and China looked rather tired. Some more substitutions for both sides gave Haiti fresh legs and agility, whereas China simply looked like they were clinging onto their lead. It was in the 14 overall minutes of added time where China became more panicked. A penalty to Haiti in the 93rd minute from a foul on Elossaint was harshly overturned by the referee, and minutes later Haiti appealed for another foul in China’s box, which went unchecked. Haitian manager Nicolas Delepine was clear in his frustration, with his team minutes away from exiting their very first World Cup. The China players and fans on the other hand did not hide their relief on the controversial decision, keeping their chances alive of making it out of the group.
Haiti kept pushing and creating chances until the final seconds of the game, but were just not clinical enough with that final touch to make it count. The final whistle brought huge disappointment to the small nation, who exit the World Cup scoring no goals and conceding two penalties. This does not do their debut in the competition justice however. They impressed the world with their gutsy performance against the Euro Champions and showed little nerve for their first time on the biggest stage in football. The young and determined side has proved no pushover to any team, no matter how big, and has easily been one of the most impressive debutantes of the competition.
China now take on 4th-ranked England, where only a win would give them hopes of making it to the round of 16. Haiti face a final tough challenge of Denmark. They’ll be looking to go out on a high, having already made their mark and establishing themselves as a challenge for any team.
To read more Women’s World Cup related articles, click here.
Follow Sporting Her on social media: Instagram // Twitter // Facebook // Youtube
