The Chelsea midfielder, back from a season-long loan with Dutch outfit Vitesse Arnhem, found the winner for the Three Lions when he converted a cross from Stamford Bridge team-mate Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
And it was no less than Gareth Southgate’s side deserved after creating the better chances throughout the game to get three points on the board in Group B.
In fact, Baker could have had more than his solitary strike, and he almost broke the deadlock after 20 minutes, when he collected a loose ball in midfield to set up an England break.
After finding Loftus-Cheek on the right, he moved inside for a return pass only to see his shot turned over by keeper Joel Pereira.
And Baker was denied again just after the half-hour mark when James Ward-Prowse’s corner picked him out unmarked on the edge of the area, from where he clipped a shot towards goal which Pereira tipped away at full stretch.
At the other end, Jordan Pickford’s first save of the night came in the 40th minute when he was forced into a diving save to deny Dalcio Gomes’ long-range left footer seconds before the break.
England continued on the front foot after the re-start, with Loftus-Cheek and Baker probing from deep and looking for that elusive breakthrough.
But it took a double substitution just shy of the hour mark to make the difference, with Cauley Woodrow and Nathan Redmond replacing Duncan Watmore and Kasey Palmer.
Three Lions skipper James Ward-Prowse in action against Andre Horta
Two minutes later, the goal arrived as Redmond helped the ball onto Loftus-Cheek in the area and after forcing his way past a defender, his cut-back picked out Baker who made no mistake from close range.
With the wind sweeping across the Stade Leo Lagrange as the game drew on, it became harder and harder for both sides to play the football they would’ve liked.
But the damage had been done as Southgate’s side played out the game with no real problems.
They will now face Guinea in their second game of the competition on Monday 23 May.
Full story: The FA