In the final days before a World Cup final, when every touch on the training ground is charged with greater tension, it’s still difficult not to revert to the lightness of youth. That is where the very meaning of all this is first set.
“When I was a kid we used to play ‘World Cup’ in the garden, where we had to score to stay in,” striker Alessia Russo smiles in England’s base. “It was having fun and playing free… as a kid growing up, to think we’re playing in a World Cup final in a couple of days is a special feeling.”
