BATTE: Lionesses don't need to panic just yet after slow start at the World Cup

It was a familiar story for Sarina Wiegman. This World Cup is her fourth major tournament as a manager and the opening game brought the same scoreline as her previous three — a 1-0 victory.

England were unconvincing against Haiti but Wiegman insisted winning was the most important thing — and she should know.

The 53-year-old has lost only one match at a tournament, the 2019 World Cup final, when her Netherlands team were beaten 2-0 by the United States.

The other two tournaments — Euro 2017 and Euro 2022, ended in victory. So, perhaps there is no need to panic.

Wiegman is used to her teams starting slowly and building as the tournament progresses.

There was a sense of deja vu in that England appeared as nervy against Haiti as they did against Austria in the opening match of the Euros last summer. In both matches they were the overwhelming favourites.

In 2017, the Netherlands beat Denmark 1-0 thanks to a penalty from Sherida Spitse. Sound familiar? Georgia Stanway’s first-half penalty proved the difference for the Lionesses against Haiti.

At the 2019 World Cup, Wiegman’s Dutch team needed a 92nd-minute winner to grab all three points against New Zealand.

Beth Mead scored the only goal when the Lionesses beat Austria last summer.

The nerves England showed in that game raised questions over whether they were ready to win a major tournament.

Their following match against Norway, who were expected to be their toughest opponents in the group, put those doubts to bed in clinical style as the Lionesses romped to an 8-0 victory.

It is unlikely next week’s game against Denmark will produce a similar scoreline but England can take confidence in that they, and Wiegman, have a history of starting slow and finishing strong.