SAINT-ETIENNE, France – The Canadian women’s soccer team’s quest for back-to-back Olympic gold is still alive.
Vanessa Gilles scored the winner in the 12th minute of injury time to shock the host French 2-1 on Sunday at Geoffroy-Guichard stadium. Saddled with the weight of FIFA’s six-point deduction for the drone-spying scandal, the Canadians needed two more wins to have any hope of advancing. The team is halfway there with Sunday’s win. Their final group match is Wednesday against Colombia (1-1) in Nice.
A draw would have eliminated Canada from contention. Then, they would have had to rely on lawyers to help overturn the FIFA appeal committee’s decision to keep them in the competition.
France striker Marie-Antoinette Katoto drove home the opening goal with a right foot in traffic in the 42nd minute. Canadian captain Jessie Fleming answered on a second-half tap-in that left diving French keeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin injured.
The match happened a day after FIFA dropped the hammer on the Canadian team as a penalty for the drone spying scandal.
The world body’s appeal committee issued the six-point deduction in the group stage for this Olympics and banned head coach Bev Priestman, Joseph Lombardi and Jasmine Mander from all soccer-related activity for one year.
Canada Soccer will also be fined 200,000 Swiss francs — nearly $313,000 CAD.
FIFA found Priestman and the two assistants “responsible for offensive behaviour and violation of the principles of fair play.” It’s a weight the Canadian team has been forced to carry – and so far, so good.
The French women’s side has never won an Olympic medal and want to rectify that at home. They were bounced by the Canadians in the quarter-final at Rio 2016 and again in the bronze-medal medal match four years earlier in London, England.
They had a chance to dish out some revenge – but couldn’t get it done.