SYDNEY — Only VAR prevented England’s Lauren James from scoring a hat trick against China at the Women’s World Cup.

China certainly didn’t know how to stop the inspirational forward as she scored two goals and provided three assists in a 6-1 rout on Tuesday at Adelaide, South Australia.

“She did special things today. … she flows over the pitch,” England coach Sarina Wiegman said.

James’ impressive performance should be a warning for future opponents of the threat she poses at this World Cup, with England entering the knockout stage with three straight wins.

The Chelsea forward makes it seem so easy. James scored with her right and and with her left. One goal was a powerfully controlled strike from the edge of the area and the other was a clinical volley from a tight angle.

“It’s what dreams are made of,” James said. “I felt free. Whether I’m on the wing or in the middle, I’m happy to be playing and contributing to goals.”

James thought she had another memorable goal after expertly firing into the corner from distance in first-half stoppage time. But the effort was disallowed because her teammate Lucy Bronze had been in an offside position during the build up.

“It was frustrating, but those things happen,” James said. “I’m just looking forward to the next one.”

That could mean bad news for Nigeria, which is England’s next opponent in the round of 16 in Brisbane on Monday.

James appears almost unstoppable, whether it be scoring goals or created chances for others.

After scoring six minutes into her first start at the tournament against Denmark, she produced an even better performance against China as England finished atop Group D with three straight wins.

As well as her two goals, she provided assists for Alessia Russo, Lauren Hemp and substitute Chloe Kelly.Rachel Daly got the European champion’s other goal at Adelaide’s Hindmarsh Stadium, and China’s Wang Shuang pulled one back from the penalty spot.

In a performance of rare brilliance, there were so many stand out moments for James. But the control and precision of her left-foot volley in the 65th minute, taken with her instep, was special.

“I’ve known LJ for a long time, played with her at Manchester United, so I’ve known the talent she had,” England midfielder Katie Zelem said. “So there is no surprise she is playing this well at the tournament.”

England equaled its biggest-ever World Cup win, matching the margin against Argentina in 2007.

The Lionesses also set a World Cup record by scoring in 16 consecutive games at the tournament.

China’s worst-ever loss at the tournament means it failed to advance from the group stage for the first time at a Women’s World Cup.

Denmark finished second to England in the group, advancing after a 2-0 win over Haiti.

England just had to avoid defeat to be guaranteed a place in the knockout stage after back-to-back wins against Haiti and Denmark.

Even with a 100% winning start, there had still been questions over England’s performances, while a knee injury for Keira Walsh raised concerns about how coach Wiegman would replace one of her key players.

While the loss of Walsh is a setback for England, the emergence of James has made her one of the stars so far in the tournament.

Netherlands 7, Vietnam 0

Netherlands scored four times in a torrid 15-minute first-half stretch, overwhelming Vietnam in the Women’s World Cup on Tuesday in Dunedin, New Zealand, and sealing first place in Group E.

The Dutch went into the match in second place on goal differential behind the United States. But the blowout win combined with the Americans’ 0-0 draw with Portugal made Netherlands the group winner. The U.S. advanced in second place.

Netherlands dominated almost from the start. Lieke Martens chipped a shot into the net in the eighth minute over 5-foot-4 Vietnam goalkeeper Tran Thi Kim Thanh to get the scoring started. Then the rout was on, as goals from three other Dutch players quickly followed.

Esmee Brugts scored one in the flurry on a curling ball from outside the penalty area in the 18th minute, then got another from nearly the same spot in the second half. Jill Roord also scored twice.

Vietnam changed goalkeepers at halftime, substituting Khong Thi Hang in for Tran Thi Kim Thanh. It was too late.

Attendance for the match was 8,215, a big drop from the sold-out crowd of 25,947 at the previous match, when co-host New Zealand played Switzerland to a 0-0 draw and was eliminated from the tournament.

Netherlands will advance to the round of 16 for its third time in tournament history, which includes the 2019 final. It will leave the group stage ranked first in Group E, followed by the defending champion United States.

Tuesday’s match was Vietnam’s last in this year’s Women’s World Cup, its tournament debut. The Vietnamese finished 0-3 with no goals and 12 conceded.

“We have been playing with the spirit of Vietnam. We have tried our best. But it is clear that we cannot close the gap between us and the Netherlands.” — Mai Duc Chung, Vietnam coach.

Netherlands’ first opponent in the knockout round will be determined by the last games in Group G on Wednesday. Sweden currently leads that group, followed by second-place Italy. The Netherlands will face the second-place team.

Denmark 2, Haiti 0

Denmark advanced to the round of 16 of the Women’s World Cup for the first time since 1995 after blanking Haiti on Tuesday in its last group-stage match in Perth, Australia.

With the win, Denmark, in its first World Cup appearance since 2007, placed second to England in Group D and booked its place in the knockout stage with a matchup against tournament co-host and Group B winner Australia on Monday in Sydney.

Denmark’s goals came courtesy of a penalty kick by Pernille Harder in the 21st minute and a calm finish by Sanne Troelsgaard in stoppage time. Haiti exits the tournament without any goals or points to show for its World Cup debut despite pushing Group D winner England all the way in its opener.

A handball from Haiti’s Dayana Pierre-Louis led to a penalty kick for Denmark in the 21st minute. Harder sent the keeper the wrong way for the star forward’s 71st career international goal. It was the third penalty Haiti conceded in three games in Australia.

Troelsgaard put the game out of reach in the 10th minute of stoppage time with a composed finish after a Danish counterattack.

Despite its efforts, Haiti was unable to create many scoring opportunities. Denmark limited Haiti to two shots on target, earning its second shutout of the group stage.

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