Cameroon left seething as England gets VAR-aided victory

Steph Houghton scored on a rare free kick to set England on its way to a 3-0 victory over Cameroon on Sunday, clinching a place in the Women's World Cup quarter-finals after a game punctuated by the anger of the African team over VAR decisions.

At times during the incident-filled game in northeast France, the Cameroon players looked like they might refuse to resume playing as they protested against decisions while referee Quin Liang struggled to maintain control.

Houghton scored the first goal after the captain was set up for an indirect free kick in the penalty area in the 14th minute.

Ellen White added to the lead in the fourth minute of first-half stoppage time with a goal only awarded after an offside call was overruled on a video review.

Cameroon players were seething again when they were denied a goal at the start of the second half when another offside VAR review went against the lowest-ranked team remaining in the competition.

England, which finished third in the 2015 tournament, pulled further ahead in the 58th minute when Alex Greenwood swept in from a corner.

England will next play Norway in the quarter-finals on Thursday in Le Havre.