England Haiti Reaction: How the Haitian media reacted after Lionesses win over Haiti at FIFA World Cup 2023

It was a far from convincing performance for the Lionesses as they edged out Haiti 1-0 in the opening game of Group D at the tournament.

A 29th minute penalty from Georgia Stanway - which had to be retaken after encroachment from the Haitian goalkeeper - secured the win but England’s display left a lot to be desired as Haiti impressed.

Many had predicted a far more comfortable evening for Sarina Wiegman’s side as they took on a side ranked 53rd in the world but the Nicolas Delépine’s unfancied side were more than a match for the European Champions.

‘Brought joy to the people of her country’

To quote a famous football cliche, ‘a win is a win’ but what about how the opposition responded? We look at how the Haitian media reacted to their World Cup debut.

The Haitian Times were full of praise for their side, writing: “The Haitian women’s football team lost its first ever World Cup game to England 1-0 on Saturday in a grueling match that shows why Les Grenadières earned a spot in the global tournament in the first place” before adding “With this being England’s seventh appearance in the World Cup and Haiti’s debut, the outcome underscores how far and how skilled Les Grenadières has become”.

“Haiti women’s team wows at WC debut, despite 1-0 loss to England” they noted, adding they team had “delivered some jaw-dropping plays by star athletes like Melchie Dumornay” and said the performance brought “kudos and respect from Haitian and non-Haitian fans worldwide.”

APNews were also delighted with their teams performance, saying: “Haiti’s spirited performance gives a loss to England the feel of a win at the Women’s World Cup. The Haitians are representing a struggling nation that had been waiting nearly half a century to play on the game’s biggest stage.”

They added in their match report: “Haiti was also stubborn in defense, thwarting repeated attacks from England and only conceding after a retaken penalty kick” while they also heralded the outstanding performance of teenage star Melchie Durmornay saying: “For players like Dumornay, Saturday’s game was a chance to bring some joy to the people of her country and show those watching around the world what she and her teammates are capable of accomplishing.”

HaitiLibre said the result was “a defeat where our Grenadières do not have to be ashamed, on the contrary they can be proud of having valiantly resisted against a European champion” while one of Haiti’s oldest newspaper LeNouvelliste noted England’s victory left a “mixed impression for their start to the World Cup.”