The Olympics women’s soccer tournament has seen Canada go through one of the most bizarre major competitions any team has experienced in recent times, and the latest development in the saga was nothing if not dramatic.
Canada staged a late comeback against host nation France on Sunday, claiming a cathartic 2-1 win thanks to Vanessa Gilles’ goal 12 minutes into second-half stoppage time.
The bigger-picture story starts back on Tuesday, when New Zealand alleged that Canada used a drone to spy on a training session before the two sides contested the first match of the entire women’s soccer tournament at the 2024 Olympics.
That turned out to be the tip of the iceberg, as Canada’s attempts to contain the scandal went completely awry. Head coach Bev Priestman initially offered to not coach against New Zealand before being sent home by the Canadian Olympic Committee, while the scandal extended to the men’s side of the Canadian national team program.
While several threads remain unresolved, the Olympics required a quick resolution for the women’s tournament. The result? Priestman, assistant coach Jasmine Mander, and staffer Joseph Lombardi were banned from all soccer activities for a year by FIFA, and Canada was handed a six-point penalty for the group stage.
All of that set the stage for a strange situation: the defending gold medalists struggled with New Zealand before ultimately winning the opener 2-1, only for the point penalty to push them back to a minus-3 total in Group A.
With Canada’s point total effectively capped at three, any sort of advancement would essentially require running the table in a strong group that included hosts France and budding South American power Colombia.
Things were looking grim on Sunday, as France took a 1-0 lead into halftime thanks to Marie-Antoinette Katoto’s 42nd minute strike. Even a draw would mean Canada’s best possible point total in the group would be one, and would likely result in a fourth-place finish in the group and an early flight home.
The host nation seemed confident in pushing on for a victory, but Portland Thorns midfielder Jessie Fleming pounced on a 58th minute rebound resulting from a collision between France goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin and defender Griedge Mbock Bathy.
It was, in other words, the first good news Canada had gotten since arriving in France, and it spurred the team to fight for its Olympic life.
While France created a handful of good looks at one end, Canada might have thought the opportunity had slipped away as Evelyne Viens’ 96th minute shot skipped wide.
Katoto probably should have ended Canada’s hopes only for Kailen Sheridan to conjure a magical save deeper in stoppage time, setting the stage for an emotional winner.
Jordyn Huitema’s powerful shot was denied by Constance Picaud (who replaced Peyraud-Magnin, who didn’t recover from the collision on Fleming’s goal), but Gilles — a center back who stayed forward in desperation — was on hand to steer the rebound over the line.
The Canadian players, who at this point appear to be blameless victims in the drone scandal, celebrated as if this were a gold-medal-clinching strike. With the game clock reading 90:00 + 11:16, Canada was somehow still afloat at the Paris Olympics.
It wasn’t just a purely cathartic goal, either. By defeating France, Canada is now in position to advance despite the six-point penalty.
A win over Colombia on Wednesday would guarantee the Canadians no worse than a third-place finish in the group. If France were to draw or beat New Zealand in the group’s other game, Canada would finish in second place, which comes with a sure place in the quarterfinals.
Watch Canada’s dramatic late goal vs. France
CANADA SCORE IN 112TH MINUTE TO BEAT HOST NATION & KEEP SCANDAL-MIRED OLYMPIC TITLE DEFENSE ALIVE! 😱
Don’t need a head coach when you’ve got no quit. What resilience from this Canadian team 🇨🇦
📹 @TelemundoSportspic.twitter.com/lPlhhzAE9V
— The Women’s Game (@WomensGameMIB) July 28, 2024
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