Haiti had lost six of their last seven games before kick-off, so it was no surprise to see China dominate possession of the ball from the outset.
But an organised-looking Haiti team initially frustrated them, and looked to get players behind the ball and force their opponents into the wider area.
The first effort of note came on 15 minutes when Lou Jiahui produced an improvised overhead kick attempt, but the shot lacked power and didn’t trouble Kerly Theus.
The Haitians’ game plan was clearly centred around keeping things tight at the back, but they were given a huge boost midway through the first half.
China’s Zhang Rui boasts an incredible amount of experience, but her 169th cap was brought to a premature end when a VAR review judged her studs-up challenge to be worthy of a straight red.
Despite that, China continued to dominate, although they were saved by the offside flag after Nerilia Mondesir’s calm finish appeared to put Haiti 1-0 up.
Les Grenadières deployed their star player Melchie Dumornay straight after the break, and that allowed them to start the second half on the front foot.
Ever the impact player, Dumornay herself should have opened the scoring shortly after the restart, but her powerful effort produced an incredible save from Zhu Yu, who tipped the ball over the bar.
Despite being pre-match favourites, China struggled to trouble the Haiti backline as the second half progressed, but they were awarded a penalty after a lengthy VAR review, which ruled that there was no offside in the build-up to Zhang Linyan being upended in the box.
Wang Shuang looked confident in her run-up and made no mistake, with her powerful effort finding the bottom corner.
Haiti thought they had a penalty of their own deep into stoppage time, but it was overturned after a VAR review showed minimal contact.
Though victorious, the Chinese still face an uphill task to qualify. They sit level on points with Denmark, who will be fancied to defeat Haiti in their final game, meaning the Steel Roses will probably need to win against England to qualify.
As for Haiti, they still have an outside chance if they can produce a shock win over Denmark and China lose to England.
Flashscore Player of the Match: Li Mengwen (China)
