(Paris) Who bought the drone that Canada Soccer used to spy on the New Zealand women? What will Celine Dion sing at the opening ceremony? How do the French keep their figure with all those pretty buttery croissants staring them in the face?
So many mysteries to solve. My brain is sizzling. But the biggest mystery of all, the one about to make my brain explode, is this: why do the coaches of the Canadian soccer team pin Evelyne Viens to the bench at the start of almost every game?
Again on Thursday, the top scorer in the Italian championship this season had to wait until the 67th minutee minute before stepping on the pitch. In particular, Nichelle Prince was preferred, who, slowed down by injuries, has not scored a goal since June 2022. I don’t understand. Maybe if I followed Canada Soccer’s training with a drone, everything would become clearer.
Or not.
Until Évelyne Viens came on, Canada was looking for its bearings. In the first quarter of an hour, New Zealand opened the scoring on one of its rare chances of the evening. The Reds increased the pace. They multiplied their counterattacks – in vain. Each attack died on the last ramparts of their opponents. Then, at the very end of the first half, the Canadians found a crack. An impressive sequence of quick passes allowed Cloé Lacasse to equalize the score.
PHOTO SILVIA IZQUIERDO, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Cloé Lacasse (right) celebrated after tying the game.
I was convinced that the Canadian coaches would bring Viens on as soon as they came back from the break. But no. Ten minutes later, they brought on two more attackers instead. The Canadians continued their assaults. In the 67the minute, they had attempted 90% of the shots in the game. However, the tie persisted. It was at this point that the coaches finally turned to Viens, hoping that she would provide the necessary spark.
In a recent interview, Viens told me he wanted to have “more impact” within the national team. Well, on Thursday, in Saint-Étienne, the boots followed the lips.
Captain Jessie Fleming (excellent) spotted her as an outpost, far, far ahead. She served her the caviar of all caviar. A spectacular pass of several dozen meters. Viens beat a defender to get to the ball first, then she kicked it on reception, deceiving the New Zealand goalkeeper. A goal that you will see again in the compilations of the best games of the month.
“Evelyne made my life easy. She moves well up the pitch. I just saw her hand and she was running. Her finish, from the angle she had, was great,” Jessie Fleming told the media on site.
PHOTO SILVIA IZQUIERDO, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Evelyne Viens (second from the right) is congratulated by her teammates after her goal.
Evelyne Viens almost added another one in stoppage time, unraveling her cover with a small hook. Careful work. However, her shot ended up in the goalkeeper’s gloves.
I am willing to believe that Evelyne Viens has defensive deficiencies. That is also the lot of many forwards. Except that when these players push back the last lines of the opposition, when they attract two defenders towards them and when they make the difference by scoring the most important goals, let’s insert them into the lineup. In the last year, Viens has built up a lot of confidence with her club, in Rome. She plays with aplomb. She is in her zone. Canada must take this into account and give her more playing time.
With this victory, the Canadians collect three big points which put them in a very good position to reach the elimination round.
But will they keep them? Earlier this week, there was talk that New Zealand might lodge a protest over Canada Soccer spying on its practices. At a news conference the day before the game on Wednesday, Canadian Olympic Committee sport chief Eric Myles acknowledged that was a possibility.
Reporter: “It seems that New Zealand has filed a complaint so that Canada will not get a point in the event of a victory. Is that correct?”
Eric Myles: “That’s what we understand. Is it an official complaint yet? We don’t know. In the discussions we have, that’s what we hear. That’s their right. There could possibly be a protest after the game.”
At the time of publication, New Zealand’s sporting bodies had not yet announced their intentions. Meanwhile, the International Football Federation continues its investigation into Canada Soccer’s espionage.
Another plot to follow in the coming days.
The Canadian women’s team’s next match is Sunday against France at 3 p.m. It will be broadcast on Radio-Canada platforms.