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An opening encounter with tournament debutantes Kenya in Group C tested England’s mettle throughout, but a composed penalty conversion from Lola Brown and a late strike from Lauryn Thompson did the trick at CFC Stadium in Santiago de los Caballeros.
England found their stride just shy of the half-hour mark when Omotara Junaid’s fizzing ball hit the hand of Kenya’s Halima Imbachi in the area.
Brown was tasked with penalty-taking duties and calmly tucked home for the goal.
