England’s players left “their hearts and souls on the pitch” in their Women’s World Cup semi-final defeat by the USA, said boss Phil Neville.
The Lionesses lost 2-1 in Lyon, with Ellen White having a goal ruled out by the VAR for offside and captain Steph Houghton having a late penalty saved.
“I’ve told them no tears tonight,” said Neville. “I’m proud. They have touched the hearts of the nation.
“I couldn’t ask for more. We had the time of our lives.”
England must now shrug off the heartbreak of a third consecutive semi-final defeat in a major tournament to face either Sweden or the Netherlands in Saturday’s third-place play-off.
“We’ll have to allow 24 to 48 hours for this to sink in and for them to get over this disappointment,” added Neville, who said beforehand anything other than reaching the final would be a “failure”.
“Nothing I can say will make them feel better. Elite sport and being on top of the world means that on Saturday in Nice we have to produce a performance.
“It will tell me a lot about my players. I’ve moved on from this already and now I’m looking forward to Saturday’s game.”
The USA, who are the world’s top-ranked team and defending champions, led within 10 minutes from Christen Press’ header. Ellen White equalised for England with her sixth goal of the tournament, a tally matched by Alex Morgan when she put the USA back in front.
The real drama came after the break as White had a goal disallowed and was awarded a penalty after she was tripped by Becky Sauerbrunn, with both decisions made by the VAR.
Houghton’s spot-kick was saved by Alyssa Naeher, and Millie Bright was sent off late on for a second booking as the game drifted away from England.
Neville says he is already looking to the future as England look to win a major tournament for the first time. His contract runs until the end of Euro 2021, which is being held in England – with the final at Wembley.
Prior to that, the former Manchester United player will also take charge of the Great Britain team at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics – they qualified as a result of England’s run to the World Cup semi-finals.
“The minute the game finished my first thought was ‘how do we win on Saturday?’ and my second thought was ‘how do we win Olympic gold?'” he said.
“I was looking at them and that was my motivation. And then I looked at them and thought, ‘how do we win the Euros in 2021?’ I won’t wallow or go back to my room and feel sorry for myself.
“It’s now making us be better and getting the next two or three percent that will make us become the best team in the world. The aim is to become the best like America. We’ve still got a way to go. I won’t stop until I get there.
“I’ve started already. I was actually in my room this afternoon planning the next two years. It’s the way I work. It’s fast.”
