(Middlesbrough) An elegant shot from Janine Beckie in the second half allowed Canada to earn a draw against England on Thursday at the Arnold Clark Cup.
Posted at 6:01 p.m.
Updated at 6:14 p.m.
The reigning Olympic champions’ first game of the year got off to a shaky start as eighth-placed England completely dominated. Fortunately, there was a second half and Canada, seeded sixth, responded well.
Head coach Bev Priestman said she expects her players to get off to a better start.
“In the first half, we weren’t ourselves,” Priestman said. In the second half, we made some adjustments, but we also played with the mentality of playing forward and taking more risks. I think it was a much better portrait of our team. »
“But don’t get me wrong, it was a tough game, tough opposition, a group in the thick of their season and I think it showed at times,” she added.
Millie Bright gave England the lead in the 22ndand minute. On a corner kick, the English sent the ball to the net and Canadian goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan tried to push it away. However, traffic was heavy in front of goal and the ball went straight for Bright and the Chelsea defender took advantage. His right-footed volley deflected past Canadian forward Jordyn Huitema before finding the back of the net.
The lead could have been more imposing without the brilliance in defense of Kadeisha Buchanan, who did a colossal job for Canada by multiplying the emergency interventions.
In the end, Canada managed to tie the game in the 55and minute when Ashley Lawrence intercepted a pass before making a run towards the opposing net. His pass attempt then deflected off a defensive player before seeing the ball bounce to Huitema, who passed it to Beckie. The Manchester City striker controlled the ball, came to rest just outside the penalty area and fired an arcing left-footed shot. The ball then went to lodge in the upper left corner of the net.
It was the 34and Beckie’s career goal in a Canadian uniform, allowing her to join Kara Lang in fourth place.
After the match, England head coach Sarina Wiegman had only good words for the Canadian squad, which she described as “the highest level team”.
“They played up to their reputation,” she said. They are Olympic champions and I think they are a very good team. They are very fast, so they are dangerous in transition. That’s what we saw, that’s what happened on their goal. They just ran away. »
“But it’s also a well-structured team. Today, they also demonstrated that they can adapt their structure, which gave us a little trouble,” added Wiegman.
Earlier, in the first match of the day’s doubleheader at the Riverside Stadium, third-placed Germany faced ninth-placed Spain. Again, the two teams drew 1-1 thanks to a goal in extremis in the 87and minute signed Lea Schueller. In the Spanish camp, FIFA player of the year and Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas had opened the scoring in the 46and minute by taking advantage of an error by the German defensive.
Prior to the draw on Thursday, Spain had won their last 16 games, outscoring their opponents 96-0 in the stretch.
Canada will face Germany on Sunday at Carrow Road Stadium, Norwich, before taking on Spain next Wednesday at Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton.
In the absence of legend Christine Sinclair, it was 23-year-old Jessie Flemming who wore the captain’s armband for the first time in her senior career. Sinclair remained in the country due to the recent death of her mother. In memory of M.me Sandi Sinclair, Canadian players wore black armbands.
Fleming was one of six starters in Thursday’s game who were also on the starting lineup for the Tokyo Games final. Three other starters in the Olympic final were on the bench Thursday. The roster was made up of a mix of young and experienced players.
The Canadians are preparing for the Gold Cup, the CONCACAF championship, which is scheduled for July in Monterrey, Mexico. This tournament serves to identify the teams that will represent the North America, Central America and Caribbean zone at the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand as well as at the Paris Olympics in 2024.
For its part, England is preparing to host the Euro in July. It is also at the heart of the qualification process for the World Cup.