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Posted by
Steve Bottjer,
June 21, 2015 |
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Steve Bottjer
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@BottjerRNO
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After finishing first in a group A during a three match run in which both impressed defensively and struggled offensively, the pressuring was squarely on the host Canadian side as the 2015 World Cup knockout round kicked off with Head Coach John Herdman’s squad facing off against Switzerland.
Switzerland, who finished third in group C to get to the knockout stage after one-goal losses to both Japan and Cameroon and a 10-1 win over Ecuador, presented a talented opponent with several dangerous weapons. Canada, who had never lost to the Swiss heading into the Round of 16 match, wre looking to overcome a poor recent record against European opposition.
The Opening 45
The match began with Canada continuing to struggle to generate scoring chances while Switzerland looked much more dangerous in the early going.
While the Canadian struggled to string together pass consistently in order to breach the Swiss defense, Martina Voss-Tecklenburg’s side rode the pace, creativity and technical ability of Lara Dickenmann and Ramona Bachmann to create a number of dangerous scoring chances.
With significant pressure on their shoulders, Canada were both lucky and unlucky when they almost opened the scoring in the 16th minute on an errant cross by Josée Bélanger almost snuck past Swiss keeper Gaëlle Thalmann, with the ball ultimately hitting the post and rolling out to safety.
Overall, the opening half was a more even affair as the half progressed, with Kadeisha Buchanan and Allysha Chapman in particular putting in strong defensive shifts to keep Switzerland at bay.
The Second Half
Canada came out of the half-time break with much more attacking intent and looking like a very different side.
That improved play paid off in the 52nd minute when some great pressing allowed Rhian Wilkinson to send a cross that Christine Sinclair beautifully laid off to Josée Bélanger for a shot that beat Thalmann and gave Canada the lead.
Canada came close to doubling their lead in the 68th minute when Melissa Tancredi delivered a fine ball into the Swiss box that Sinclair just missed heading into the back of the net.
With Switzerland pushing forward ferociously in search of an equalizer, Canada keeper Erin McLeod was a tower of strength in front of a home crowd craving a victory. In the 78th minute, McLeod delivered a game saving stop on Vanessa Bernauer from in close.
The Canadians had an excellent chance to double their lead in the 82nd minute when Sinclair delivered fine cross into the Swiss box. However, second half sub Jonelle Filigno was unable to redirect the ball on target.
Canadian ultimately defended smartly and resolutely down the stretch, as Canada impressively closed out the match and earn a spot in the Quarterfinals of the competition. Despite the fact that the game was very close, Herdman’s squad deserve credit for the professional manner in which they managed the game and got a massive result while dealing with massive pressure and expectations.
Player of the Match
Josée Bélanger
After filling in at right back in the group stage, Josée Bélanger was back in her favoured attacking position on this match and she made the most of the positional change with an absolutely massive goal to seal a spot for Canada in the World Cup quarterfinals.
In addition to Bélanger, plenty of other players stepped up their performances as Canada delivered a gutsy game while dealing pressure that must have felt overwhelming. Christine Sinclair showed world class touch to set up Bélanger’s game winning goal and Erin McLeod was outstanding between the sticks against a Swiss team that pushed forward impressively in search of an equalizer when their elimination from the tournament was imminent. On the back line, Allysha Chapman and Kadeisha Buchanan delivered fantastic performances while Rhian Wilkinson played a key role in Canada’s improved offensive display in the second half.
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: Jonelle Filigno on for Melissa Tancredi (69’); Kaylyn Kyle on for Desiree Scott (76’); Marie-Ève Nault on for Rhian Wilkinson (88’).
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