Germany’s teenage midfielder Giulia Gwinn scored a second-half winner on her first competitive appearance as the 2003 and 2007 world champions edged past a resilient China side to kick off their World Cup campaign.

Germany were left frustrated for long periods by some solid Chinese defending but made the breakthrough just after the hour when 19-year-old Gwinn fired in a crisp shot from the edge of the box. It was enough to seal the Group B encounter.

China had come close to taking an unexpected lead against the run of play in the first half when Yang Li was sent through after a German error but her shot was cleared when she looked certain to score.

Carolin Simon then hit the woodwork with a cross minutes later but Germany’s early dominance faded as the Chinese gained in confidence.

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China earned another golden chance from a quick break, hitting the post in the 44th minute before Germany’s keeper Almuth Schult came to the rescue. Gwinn then found just enough space in a crowded Chinese defence to fire home a well-placed shot past keeper Peng Shimeng to settle the game.

The Germany manager, Martina Voss-Tecklenburg, whose side are now unbeaten in their last 13 matches – the longest run of any team taking part in the tournament in France – hailed Gwinn for “just getting better and better as the game went on”.

She added: “The goal gave her a lot of confidence, and she showed what she’s capable of doing. It’s definitely very important that all the young players played in what was a very difficult match. They fought through it, and now they have the benefit of that experience and know what it’s like to play a World Cup match, with all the difficulties that brings.

“This game taught us that a World Cup match is very different to the training sessions. Some things happened that were not great – but we are here and we want to go as far as we can.”

Gwinn, whose eight previous Germany caps all came in friendlies, said: “It’s obviously special to start the World Cup by scoring a goal like that. It will give me a lot of confidence.”

China’s manager, Jia Xiuquan, who caused a stir by leaving the Paris Saint-Germain forward Wang Shuang, nicknamed “Lady Messi”, on the bench before bringing her on in the second half, expressed pride in her side’s unity and work rate.

“There was a lot of pressure on our defence but we did well in our defensive work – and in our attack we created opportunities. All of this is what we worked on in training and today this was reflected on the pitch: they showed the kind of desire and attitude that was evident in our training. We just need to keep working on it. We just missed one goal which gives us regret, however this is what we need to learn and improve. Compared to Germany we are not at the same level – but it does not mean we cannot fight.”

Germany now head to Valenciennes where they play Spain on Wednesday, while China face South Africa on Thursday in Paris.

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