do you play sports? play for 2 hours on a tuesday night then play 90 minutes saturday evening at a high level also against a team who hasnt played in a week, the mental aspect plays its part in why as you put it we were at our best in last few minutes of first half, thats called holding onto what you have got for 5 minutes till you get to regroup at half time and the rhythm is disrupted, its character and what wins you titles, when you come back out after a ten minute break when you are already knackered your legs feel like lead and your sluggish, again why near the end of the second we looked abit better again, mental strength kicks in you know you only have 5 minutes left you push yourself abit harder, you dont push yourself early on in the second half when your tired and burn out by the hour marker, you absorb the pressure and you conserve energy, its a marathon not a race.