Prior to his team’s World Cup semifinal against the United States, England coach Phil Neville was asked about his opponent’s propensity to start games quickly.
At that point, the USWNT had scored within the first 12 minutes of all five of their World Cup games, which, unsurprisingly, had all ended in victory.
“I think the first 15 minutes you’ve got to be ready,” Neville said. “They do come out of the traps really quickly. I think the first 15 minutes will determine the way the game is going to shape [up].”
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Within two minutes of Tuesday night’s game, though, England was already on the back foot.