Women's World Cup: England secure 2-1 victory over Scotland

England have secured a narrow 2-1 victory against Scotland in their opening match for the Women's World Cup.

Playing to a crowd of 13,188 people at the Allianz Riviera in Nice, England had a strong start with both its goals being scored in the first half.

Nikita Parris scored the first goal in a 14th-minute penalty, which was awarded after a handball, and Ellen White scored the second in the 40th minute.

But Scotland fought back in the second half with a goal from Claire Emslie.

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was particularly pleased with the result, having been captured on her feet cheering in a fan's video.

"Scotland Women's National Team did us proud tonight," Mrs Sturgeon wrote in a tweet after the match.

Despite the 79th-minute goal, it was not enough for Scotland to make a winning comeback in their World Cup debut, and the match ended on a final score of 2-1.

England manager Phil Neville said he was "pleased with the result" but wanted his team to be "relentless" in its next matches.

He told the BBC: "I want us to play like we did in the first half for 90 minutes."

"At 2-0, it is always a dangerous scoreline and we needed a third goal. Scotland have got good players; they're a good team."

Meanwhile, Scotland manager Shelley Kerr said the second half demonstrated what her team was "capable of".

She added: "England are tipped to win this tournament so to run them so close, especially in the second half, is a positive."

England are now set to face long-time footballing rival Argentina this Friday, with Scotland also up against Japan on the same day.