ADELAIDE, Australia — This was a perfect evening for England. They were without Keira Walsh, they had a new-look 3-5-2 formation and coach Sarina Wiegman had made more changes than she had ever made in a major tournament. But, for all the shifting sands, they were dominant as they swiped aside China 6-1 to reach the round of 16 at the Women’s World Cup.

Wiegman routinely dodges talking about individuals, but in a match where there were so many impressive showings, it’s hard not to highlight the stunning performance of Lauren James as she played a key role in five of England’s goals — scoring two and setting up three others.

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Her smile said it all as she was replaced with 10 minutes left, against a backdrop of applause and cheers to rival any heard on a chilly evening in Adelaide. “It’s what dreams are made of,” James said post-match. “Happy for the team, everyone is buzzing.”

She added, when asked about her move into the No. 10 position for this match: “I felt free. Whether I’m on the wing or in the middle, I’m happy to be playing and contributing to goals.”

But this was not about the role of the individual; it was a collective dismantling. China couldn’t get close to England, even resorting to pulling Alessia Russo‘s hair at a corner. At one stage it was the only way they could lay a finger on her, as she — like many of the Lionesses — ran rings around China in the first half with a performance of perfect passing triangles and expansive wing play which negated the low block facing them. The six goals England scored — each showcasing their multi-faceted attack — did not flatter this performance. After two nervy and at times uncomfortable 1-0 wins, this was at the other end of the scale. It was a sign of England arriving at the World Cup and putting down a marker.

China lacked the physicality to cope with England and were far too passive in the opening exchanges. That allowed England to attack with an alternating approach of spreading the ball wide, and then targeting through the middle as China’s 4-3-3 was pulled out of position. The 3-5-2 — effectively a 3-4-1-2 in attack — Wiegman deployed meant their back three controlled the field while Lucy Bronze and Rachel Daly had the freedom of the wings.

Having Jess Carter sitting allowed Alex Greenwood and Millie Bright to carry the ball out from the back and, with an expanded field in front of them, they could either switch the ball to the wings or nudge it forward to Katie Zelem and Georgia Stanway there in front of them. James operated as a No. 10 in attack, more as an No. 8 in defence, with Russo and Lauren Hemp up front. It was a chameleon-like formation, the versatility allowing England to shift targeted pressure from the flanks to the middle in the blink of an eye.

“When we discussed we wanted to change like this everyone believed in it straight away and you saw that on the pitch,” Wiegman said. “We were able to press high but also found a way to play the possession game well so that was really nice. The team showed we are really adaptable.”

Heading into the match, the question marks were over how England would do without Walsh. In short, she’s irreplaceable and the shifting formation is testament to her importance. Zelem was the go-to player to re-start play from the back with Stanway pushing forward, but the two alternated that pivot role. It meant James was far more central than against Denmark, and the effect was lethal.

Russo got England off and running in just the fourth minute as she started and finished the move, grafting down the left and then finishing the move off with a shot on the turn having been teed up by James. Hemp then scored England’s second in the 26th minute as she ran on to James’ through ball for a comfortable finish. But then provider turned scorer as Alex Greenwood’s free kick found James on the edge of the box and she finished majestically, curling the ball past the goalkeeper to give England a 3-0 lead. According to the stats from the technology inside the match ball, via FIFA, James’ first goal registered a spin of 14.62 rotations per second — the most of any goal at this tournament. James could, and perhaps should, have had another before half-time, but the referee ruled it out for Bronze being judged to be offside, albeit in the second phase of play.

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Explaining why VAR denied James another stunning goal vs. China

Dale Johnson explains why Lauren James was denied an excellent goal vs. China after Lucy Bronze was controversially deemed to be offside.

The advantage allowed Wiegman to swap out Stanway for Laura Coombs at the break, with Stanway a yellow card away from missing their round-of-16 match. China managed to get one back via a penalty off a VAR handball call against Bronze, but England didn’t let their foot off the gas. James scored a brilliant fourth, planting a cushioned volley into the far corner of China’s net, before she teed up substitute Chloe Kelly for England’s fifth — her through ball bamboozling the China goalkeeper, leaving Kelly facing an empty net — and Rachel Daly added a sixth with an emphatic close-range volley.

It was ruthless and brutal, but above all the sign of England clicking here in Australia. The team felt they were hard done by with some of the reaction to their two opening 1-0 wins. They suffered nervy moments in those matches with goalkeeper Mary Earps bailing them out late against Haiti, and a post saving them against Denmark, but this was their response.

James was at the forefront, but you could go through each player on the pitch highlighting their role in this victory. Above all, it was a match where those who needed to find form managed to get their eye back in — players like captain Bright were commanding from the back, while Hemp and Russo ended their wait for goals (Russo’s last England goal was against South Korea in February, Hemp’s was against the USWNT last October.)

England now switch attention to Nigeria in Brisbane on Aug. 7, but for now they will enjoy the satisfaction of a job done in spectacular fashion. In their last two matches, “Sweet Caroline” has greeted the full-time whistle. Against Haiti and Denmark the team went into their customary huddle as the music blared out, but were still as they listened to Wiegman and the various leaders. But against China, as they came together in the middle of the pitch against the soundtrack of Neil Diamond singing “good times never felt so good,” a few started bouncing up and down, there were smiles and a sign they were back in their groove.