ANALYSIS – The CANWNT starts the Olympic campaign with a hard-fought 2-1 win against New Zealand. This article will look at the game itself and will also talk a bit about what is happening off-the-field.
The CANWNT Starts Olympic Campaign with Closely Contested Victory Over New Zealand
CANWNT Did Well in Creating Their Scoring Opportunities
The CANWNT deserves credit for the scoring chances they created. They were either done via the long ball, or were well-time passes inside or outside the box. Some examples that do not include goals include:
- A brilliant cross by Kadeisha Buchanan that was missed by Vanessa Gilles.
- Gabby Carle’s cross to Adriana Leon inside the box was not converted.
- Ashley Lawrence delivered a great cross to Nichelle Prince, who could not do anything about it.
Now, looking at the two goals scored by Canada, they both came via passes. The first goal involved more players as it was a tic-tac-toe with Nichelle Prince, Ashley Lawrence, and Jessie Fleming, all getting involved before Cloé Lacasse put the ball into the back of the net. The second goal was scored with Jessie Fleming delivering a fantastically timed pass to Evelyne Viens, who masterfully put the ball into the back of the net.
The Football Ferns Did Not Trouble the Goalkeeper
The Football Ferns, aka New Zealand scored in the 13 minute following a corner as Mackenzie Barry had too much space and buried the ball into the top corner. However, after that goal was scored, New Zealand did not look like they were scoring. They had a half-chance late in the game as Kadeisha Buchanan got a yellow card in the 85 minute, but the Football Ferns were unable to take advantage of that scoring chance. They seemed to be focused on defending as the goalkeeper for New Zealand, Anna Leat, was forced to make a big save.
New Zealand Defence and Goalkeeping Deserves Credit
Despite Canada having most of the scoring chances, New Zealand only lost by one goal. That is a credit to their defence and goalkeeper, Leat.
- Leat made a fantastic stop on Quinn in the 60 minute.
- Barry made some great defensive plays to prevent Canada from scoring.
- Janine Beckie’s and Simi Awujo’s shots were blocked by New Zealand’s defence.
While it was not enough for the victory, it is something positive to note for New Zealand as they play their next group stage game against Colombia.
Other Factors: CANWNT Earned Themselves Many Corners
The CANWNT did a great job of creating corners for themselves against New Zealand on Thursday. This resulted in scoring chances for Gilles in the game. However, for future matches, making sure those corners turn into goals will be very important as they head into a tough game against France on Sunday.
As for what is happening off-the-field, this is the Canada Soccer CEO and General Secretary’s Statement from Kevin Blue (Source: Canada Soccer):
Unfortunately, there has been a lot of drama behind the scenes. While this writer will not speculate will happen, the fact that Beverly Priestman has been sent home with the statement seen above by Canada Soccer, it might get worse.
There is an article by Rick Westhead of TSN that investigates what is going on with Canada Soccer and the issue with drones, which can be seen above.
Sadly, this will be seen as a dark moment in Canadian soccer history, in a country where the game is beginning to explode. This might turn away some fans away from supporting the CANWNT and/or the CANMNT.
This is just speculation, but this might mean other teams/national teams might also be investigated for something similar and/or the same within the national/international soccer landscape.
It is important to note though that the players were not involved with the drones as Blue, Canada Soccer CEO and General Secretary, said in the above Tweet, as the players deserve all our support.
Games Coming Up for Both Teams as the CANWNT Starts Olympic Campaign Strong
READ MORE: The 2024 CanWNT Olympic Roster Reveal Includes Cloé Lacasse
The CANWNT will continue their Olympic journey against France on Sunday at the same venue as the New Zealand game at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Étienne at 3:00PM ET. This is while New Zealand will battle against Colombia at the Stade de Lyon, Décines-Charpieu, also on Sunday at 11:00AM ET.
READ MORE: Canada v New Zealand: The Opener to the 2024 Paris Olympics
France defeated Colombia 3-2 in the other game, which means both France and Canada has three points in the group while New Zealand and Colombia are still looking to make their make in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The game against Canada and France will be televised nationally on CBC.
Photo Credit: CANWNT X Account on July 25, 2024.
