Haiti’s spirited performance gives a loss to England the feel of a win at the Women’s World Cup

By BROOKE EVANS
Associated Press

Brisbane, Australia (AP) — Haiti has given its fans a boost with its spirited performance during a Women’s World Cup debut that came up just short in a 1-0 loss to European champion England. That kind of tenacity is nothing new for a team that has faced a difficult journey just to make it to the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. Haiti arrived at the tournament without the kind of sponsorship that keeps the top teams strong and without any home games to prepare. Coach Nicholas Delépine says he’s proud of the inspired performance of a squad that faced “a huge test” against No. 4-ranked England. He says: “We were very close to England. We were very close.”