Leah Williamson's strike gave England a richly deserved winning start to their European Championship Elite Round Qualifying campaign in Finland.
England 1-0 Denmark
UEFA Women's Under-19 European Championship
Elite Round Qualifying
ISS Stadion, Vantaa, Finland
Saturday 5 April 2014
The Arsenal defender netted in the 62nd minute to assure a 1-0 victory over a highly regarded Denmark side that will surely cheer the Young Lionesses' head coach Mo Marley.
The victory sends England to the top of their four-team Group 6, with Serbia and hosts Finland set to play later on Saturday.
England play Serbia on Monday, and Finland on Thursday, with both matches in Helsinki. Only the top team in the group will qualify for the finals in Norway in July.
Denmark had started the match brightly in Vantaa, Finland's fourth-biggest city, firing shots wide of Caitlin Leach's goal, but their enterprise soon dried up, and for large parts of the match England were dominant.
In all England managed 15 shots on goal to Denmark's four, hit the target with six, and hit the woodwork twice.
It was therefore something of a surprise that England took so long to break the deadlock, with left-back Williamson, who captained the U17s to fourth place in the European Championship final in December, firing the winner.
England (4-4-2): 13 Caitlin Leach; 2 Aoife Mannion, 6 Ellie Stewart, 12 Gabrielle George, 3 Leah Williamson; 9 Jessica Carter, 14 Abbey-Leigh Stringer, 4 Jade Bailey (c), 7 Natasha Flint; 10 Katie Zelem, 18 Bethany Mead.
Substitute used: 11 Sarah Mayling (on for Carter, 80).
Substitutes not used: 1 Sophie Baggaley, 5 Vyan Sampson, 8 Jodie Brett, 15 Rosella Ayane, 16 Millie Turner, 17 Coral-Jade Haines.
Goal: Williamson 62
Head coach: Mo Marley
Referee: Karolina Radzik-Johan (Pol)
