England had little trouble dispatching Cameroon and advancing to the Women’s World Cup quarterfinals, but the team’s 3-0 victory was marred by emotional outbursts from opposing players.
Among other incidents, there was an elbow to the jaw, an allegation of spitting and two refusals to restart the game after one goal was awarded and another disallowed. VAR took a lot of the heat, but so did the referees.
Phil Neville, England’s manager, was clearly irked by what he saw from an opponent that lost its self-control and refused to play.
“I have to say that wasn’t football to me.