Two goals for good, and the UK cruised halfway through, with every sign of early nerves eradicated by the penalty of Nikita Parris. Very little fault in this performance of this first half and it is unlikely that Phil Neville will have modified us yet.

In the World Cup stage, Scotland has proved themselves a match that unfortunately doesn’t reflect the half-time mark. At this stage it is essential that the team re-groups and may sacrifice a center middle ground for Jane Ross. This gives Cuthbert the liberty to deepen the game and inject more creativity into an region they may influence.

“I was pleased with the result. The first game is always the most difficult game but we set certain standards and the players know we need to keep meeting those standards. If we don’t, we get second half performances like we just got. We’ve got to be relentless now, we want to be here for the next 37 days”.
– Phil Neville, England coach

Phil Neville had often said that his players from England had trust and self-confidence, and it looked like a ideal chance to demonstrate these characteristics in practice, but were they too complacent in relation to the persistent Claire Emslie? The progress of history constantly sniffed out loopholes and paid off. Overall, however, Lucy Bronze and Nikita Parris, a thriving midfield and a certain specialist finish, gave the UK a victory.

“We know we need to win one game, it doesn’t have to be the first game, even if it would have been nice”.
– Shelley Kerr, Scotland coach

The Scotland squad is disappointed to get no point, but on the world level they have demonstrated more than they do. In that case, both the team and fans look forward to seeing what they are able to do with the next two sets of teams and real title competitors.

“I think at 2-0 in this heat, we thought it was going to be easy in the second half. It’s a lesson that every game in this World Cup is going to be difficult”.
– Phil Neville, England coach

The Lionesses started their campaign in France 2019 confidently and were among the favorites in the tourney. They lifted their foot out of the accelerator pedal after the break two objectives to the good, during the stiff Nice heat, and the Scots profited.

“At a top competition like the World Cup you need to scrutinise [yourself] to the max, there were a lot of positives for us in the second half though.”
– Shelley Kerr, Scotland coach

Shelley Kerr’s side, despite her first half, will be proud of the debut of the Women’s World Cup game. After the break, Kerr’s some tactical tweaks saw her rise before the nation’s first historic World Cup goal was captured. Claire Emslie. Phil Neville’s side was a bit too late, but they could be hopeful about their next match.

Image: Kane Oosty / FIFA