Following a 92nd minute penalty winner from Christine Sinclair, defeating China PR 1-0 in the tournament opener, Canada was only able to earn a point in a 0-0 draw against New Zealand in front of a rain drenched crowd at Commonwealth Stadium.
After China picked up three points against Netherlands earlier in the day, leaving the group with three teams deadlocked on three points, Canada knew it could qualify for the knockout stages with a win against what is familiar opposition to Canada’s manager. John Herdman named an unchanged starting line-up going up against a side he made his name with in the ‘Football Ferns’, choosing to reward the players that won the first match and giving the Canadians a base of build from.
New Zealand were motivated, coming into the match as the only team in the group without a win and looking to change its fortunes after a 1-0 loss to the Netherlands. Led by coach Tony Readings and captain/defender Abby Erceg, the Oceania team made a single change in midfield from its opening match, looking to both turn the group on its head with a win and get one over on its former coach.
The Opening 45
Canada came out of the blocks aggressive, looking to press the action and grab the initiative in the game… until play was halted after four minutes of play due to lightning in the area.
When play resumed thirty minutes later, with dark clouds and rain giving way to sunshine, Canada picked up where it left off by working the ball on the wings and doing a much better job of pulling the defence apart than they were able to do against a compact Chinese squad. The Kiwi’s played mostly via counter attacks and set plays to start with, forcing goalkeeper Erin McLeod into action, putting pressure on the Canadian backline and forcing Canada into unnecessary fouls in dangerous areas.
As both sides continued to feel their way into the match, New Zealand were committing bodies forward in attack but leaving openings for Canada to charge forward create chances of their own. Jonelle Filigno latched onto a cross from Melissa Tancredi in the 21st minute, her headed attempt on goal saved by keeper Erin Naylor. The big moment in the half saw New Zealand earn a penalty in the 33rd minute, Canadian fullback Allysha Chapman committing an awkward challenge on forward Hannah Wilkinson in the box. New Zealand’s biggest attacking threat in forward Amber Hern stepped up to the spot in the 33rd minute and promptly rang the ball off the crossbar.
Just before the half New Zealand earned themselves a pair of corner kicks, both needing McLeod to come out of her area to deal with the ball before the defence ultimately cleared the danger. Canada had it’s own chance in stoppage time, a goal from a Filigno header was ruled out for Tancredi being judged in an offside position.
The score remained 0-0 going into the break.
The Second Half
Herdman’s message to his team continued in the second half, looking to spread the ball wide and work fullbacks Chapman and Josée Bélanger. It only took moment for Canada to test the New Zealand goal, a poor defensive clearance dropping to Christine Sinclair who hit the crossbar in the 48th minute. The hosts were finding lots of joy testing their opponents with through balls, getting behind the defence and making them commit to covering more ground. Those moments of joy quick turning to nerves throughout the half, New Zealand starting to create chances and needing the intervention of defenders such as Chapman and Kadeisha Buchanan. As the half wore on, Canada had a few chances to get in front on set pieces off the foot of Sophie Schmidt but the Kiwi’s defensive unit did just enough to deal with the danger.
Finding open space from build up play in the 77th minute, Tancredi’s shot ultimately made for easy work for Naylor. Canada’s best chance late fell to Sinclair in the 85th minute, collecting a nice pass from Bélanger before her shot dribbled just wide. Ultimately while the chances were there, the Canucks weren’t able to capitalize and now see themselves top of the group but in for a battle against the Netherlands in the final group game.
Player of the Match
Jonelle Filigno
While she wasn’t able to get on the score sheet today, Filigno’s attacking intent and willingness to be a scoring option was evident before checking out of the match. She has proved herself to be a potential option going forward, one that could be valuable as the tournament progresses. Her performance against New Zealand could also be an answer to an important question, the main question going into the tournament for Canada, who not named Christine Sinclair can step up in attack? Filigno was able to get her head onto a couple of balls in the box in the first half, giving the New Zealand keeper something to think about while also proving a valuable tactical piece.
Showing the capability to both drop back to support the midfield and be a pseudo striker in support of Sinclair, this allowed Canada to have a different look within a 4-3-3 formation and made the New Zealand defence have to worry about leaving Sinclair in open space, worry about Tancredi’s physicality and ability in the air and now tracking Filigno.
CanWNT Line-up
1 Erin McLeod
9 Josée Bélanger
3 Kadeisha Buchanan
10 Lauren Sesselmann
15 Allysha Chapman
11 Desiree Scott
22 Ashley Lawrence
13 Sophie Schmidt
16 Jonelle Filigno
14 Melissa Tancredi
12 Christine Sinclair (C)
Substitutions: Kaylyn Kyle for Jonelle Filigno (63’); Carmelina Moscato for Lauren Sesselmann (68’); Adrianna Leon for Desiree Scott (73’).
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