Canada earns important 2:1 win over Chile at Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games
Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team earned three important points with a 2:1 win over Chile in their second match of the group phase at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Janine Beckie scored a brace for Canada and Karen Araya converted a penalty for Chile.
With this win, Canada now has four points after a 1:1
draw with host Japan in the opening match of the Women’s Olympic Football
Tournament and is well positioned to progress to the knockout phase with one
last match to play in the group phase.
“Overall, happy because we came here to get three points and that’s exactly what we did. The game was exactly what we expected it to be. It was never going to be easy.” said Head Coach Bev Priestman. “You had Olympic debuts for Jayde Riviere and Julia Grosso who came through the youth system, and I was really proud of both of those performances. We will take the positives and now it is about moving on and heading towards a big game against Great Britain.”
Canada is the only nation in the world to reach the
podium at both London 2012 and Rio 2016 in women’s football. The team is hoping
to make history by getting back on the podium for a third consecutive time.
“As a forward, it’s my job to put the ball in the back of
the net so to come back after a less than ideal performance in the first game,
to win, is what we wanted.” said Janine Beckie. “Tournaments are about winning
and it’s about three points and that’s what we did today so I’m just happy to
do my job for the team.”
Canada will wrap up the group stage against Great Britain
in Kashima on 27 July at 20.00 local (07.00 ET / 04.00 PT). From 12 nations in
three groups, the top-eight nations advance to the Olympic Quarterfinals from
which winners advance to the Semifinals and then a chance to win a medal. The
Women’s Olympic Football Tournament runs 21 July through 6 August 2021, with
this year’s gold medal match at Tokyo’s Olympic Stadium.
Canada opened the match with high pressure. Nichelle
Prince had an early chance at the back post on a Canada corner kick in the 5’. Just a minute later, Kadeisha Buchanan scored
but the goal was deemed to have been a handball as it ricocheted off Christiane
Endler and onto Buchanan’s hand before finding the back of the net in the 6’.
Canada earned a PK in the 19’ after Christine Sinclair
was taken down in the area. Janine Beckie stepped up and hit the post with her
spot kick. Ashley Lawrence played a cross into the box in the 26’ that Prince
stepped over to create an opportunity for Sinclair who put it just wide. Chile
made things sticky in the midfield for a spell in the first half, but Prince
got to the goal line and played a ball in to Sinclair in the 39’. Endler
cleared the cross, but it fell to Beckie at the top of the area and Beckie
powered it home to give Canada a 1:0 lead.
Canada opened the second half on the front foot. Just two
minutes into the half, Prince once again delivered a ball through to Beckie
after Shelina Zadorsky picked Prince out. Beckie took a touch to draw Endler
and put the ball behind the Chilean goalkeeper for her second goal of the
night, and sixth multi-goal game of her career. Chile made it 2:1 in the 57’
after a Zadorsky foul in the box was deemed worthy of a PK after VAR review.
Chile came close again in the 73’ hitting the crossbar. Canada was able to shut
the door for the remainder to earn the vital full three points.
Canada’s starting XI featured Kailen Sheridan in goal,
Ashley Lawrence at right back, Shelina Zadorsky and Kadeisha Buchanan at centre
back, Jayde Riviere at left back, and Desiree Scott, Jessie Fleming, Julia
Grosso, Janine Beckie, Christine Sinclair and Nichelle Prince from the midfield
up through to the attack. Head Coach Bev Priestman replaced Grosso with Quinn
and Prince with Deanne Rose (61’). Both Grosso
and Riviere made their Olympic debuts.
OLYMPIC
MEDAL WINNERS & CONCACAF CHAMPIONS
Canada
are two-time Olympic bronze medal winners (2012 and 2016) and two-time Concacaf
champions (1998 and 2010). In all, Canada have participated in seven
consecutive editions of the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ (1995 to 2019) and three
consecutive editions of the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament (2008 to 2016).
At Rio 2016, Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team were the first Canadian
Olympic team to win back-to-back medals at a summer Olympic Games in more than a
century.
Canada
Soccer’s Women’s National Youth Teams, meanwhile, have won four Concacaf youth
titles: the 2004 and 2008 Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship, the 2010
Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Championship, and the 2014 Concacaf Girls’ Under-15
Championship. Canada have qualified for seven editions of the FIFA U-20 Women’s
World Cup (including a silver medal at Canada 2002) and all six editions of the
FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup (including a fourth-place finish at Uruguay 2018).