Watch as ‘cheat code’ Lauren James scores sensational first World Cup goal for England

England wasted no time in bouncing back from their shaky World Cup opener by grabbing an early lead against Denmark. Tournament debutant Lauren James was handed her first start and she immediately made her mark by smashing home her side’s first goal from open play.

It took just six minutes for the Chelsea star to stamp her authority on the match. Finding herself in a big pocket of space outside the box, the 21-year-old unleashed her shot and sent the ball rifling past Lene Christensen to blow the roof off the Allianz Stadium.

Watch: Lauren James scores stunning first World Cup goal for England

Sarina Wiegman opted to change up the starting 11 that faced Haiti last time out. Alex Greenwood shifted to centre-back with Rachel Daly coming in on the left, and of course, James was given the nod to accompany the attack ahead of Lauren Hemp.

James is no stranger to showing up during big occasions. The forward scored Manchester United’s first ever Women’s Super League goal when she was still with the Reds, and netted their first at Old Trafford in front of fans. She may be just 21 years old but the world already knows how dangerous James is.

In fact, Ruesha Littlejohn of Aston Villa and Ireland took straight to Twitter to applaud the goal and described the Chelsea ace as a “cheat code.”

With James’ stunner to kick them forward, England will be looking to bank a strong win against Denmark in order to boost their presence in Group D. As it stands, they top the table with six points, three clear of the Danes.

However, feat set in for the Lionesses when Keira Walsh went down with an apparent knee injury just before half-time. The Barcelona star appeared in clear pain and was quickly stretchered off the pitch. The extent of the injury is yet to be confirmed.