|
|
After getting by Switzerland in the Round of 16, thanks to a goal from deputizing fullback turned forward Josée Bélanger, Canada set up to go toe-to-toe against England in the Quarter-finals at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia. The prize? Advancing to the final four and a date against the defending Women’s World Cup Champions Japan, who defeated Australia by a 1-0 score earlier in the day.
There has been some interesting bulletin board material in the buildup to the match, with the England camp alluding to the host nation getting favourable calls and given leeway from referees for its aggressive approach to the game. For their part, coach John Herdman and the squad have embraced the role thrust upon them and looked to “give England hell.”
Herdman named an unchanged starting XI from the game against Switzerland, showing faith in Bélanger up front with Melissa Tancredi and Christine Sinclair up, looking at the midfield trio of Desiree Scott, Ashley Lawrence and Sophie Schmidt as a unit that has developed chemistry throughout the tournament and naming the best four options in front of veteran goalkeeper Erin McLeod, with Kadeisha Buchanan in particular growing into a defensive leader and future Canadian star.
The Opening 45
The opening moments of the match saw Canada begin stronger, working both wings and putting pressure on the England backline with a high press. The Canadians created the first opportunity of the match with a bit of skill, Schmidt finding Sinclair on the wing and the captain eluding two defenders before playing a cross field ball to Tancredi but her shot went over the bar. It was looking like a game Canada would begin to control… and then it happened.
The Three Lionesses drew first blood through forward Jodie Taylor in the 11th minute, The Portland Thorns striker taking advantage of a Lauren Sesselmann blunder on the ball and finishing past McLeod. It only took three minutes for things to go from bad to worse for the host nation, England striking again through defender Lucy Bronze, outmuscling Allysha Chapman on a set piece into the box before heading the ball off the crossbar and past Canada’s keeper for a 2-0 lead. From that point on Canada received the majority of possession, got good opportunities to create attacks through set pieces and looked motivated to pull one back before halftime. With a bit of fortune breaking their way, the Canucks finally took their chance through Christine Sinclair in the 42nd minute. A cross from Ashley Lawrence was spilled from England keeper Karen Bardsley, leaving an easy tap in for the Canadian captain and giving the host nation a sign of life going into halftime.
The Second Half
Coming out from the second half, England got the first chance on goal through midfielder Karen Carney but her shot sailed wide after a slip. The Three Lionesses were forced to make a change in goal minutes later, Bardsley replaced by Siobhan Chamberlain due to a mysterious eye injury. Following the change England had a testing chance through one of the its goal scorers in Taylor, shooting from the left side and forcing McLeod into a diving save. Canada continued to apply pressure in attack, seeing an opening to tie the game. Herdman looked to take advantage of this through attacking substitutions, bringing on attacking midfielder Dianna Matheson and forward Adrianna Leon for defender Rhian Wilkinson and central forward Melissa Tancredi. It was a clear go for broke approach by Herdman, looking to push players in attack with time quickly ticking away. Canada had some notable chances to try and bring the game level through Schmidt and others, but to no avail and are eliminated from the tournament. The scenes following the game showed how heartbreaking it was for the players, however their time in the tournament also showed some of the quality young players Canada has to rely on now and into the future.
Player of the Match
Christine Sinclair
While not having one of those classic Christine Sinclair games, Canada’s captain did show that moment of brilliance in the first half and pounced on the spilled ball for the goal that made this a game again after three disastrous moments. The main focal point for the English defence, Sinclair wasn’t always able to fine the space required to get more chances on goal but opened up some opportunities for teammates.
Canadian Line-Up:
1 Erin McLeod
7 Rhian Wilkinson
3 Kadeisha Buchanan
10 Lauren Sesselmann
15 Allysha Chapman
11 Desiree Scott
22 Ashley Lawrence
13 Sophie Schmidt
17 Josée Bélanger
14 Melissa Tancredi
12 Christine Sinclair (C)
Substitutions: Dianna Matheson for Rhian Wilkinson (62’); Adrianna Leon for Melissa Tancredi (71’); Kaylyn Kyle for Desiree Scott (77’).
|