They did it.
The Canadians pulled off the improbable, almost the impossible. Not only did they erase the six-point deficit imposed by FIFA as a sanction for the spying scandal affecting Canada Soccer, but they then won their third and final match against Colombia 1-0 on Wednesday. That puts them in the quarterfinals.
With a total of 3 points, the Reds took second place in their group.
And in doing so, Vanessa Gilles achieved the status of a Canadian soccer legend. She was the one who scored the winning goal against the Colombians. A header in the 61st minutee. A success that came after his saving strike, with his left foot, in the 12th minute.e minute of added time against France last Sunday.
Canada had no choice but to win. Any other scenario would have led to their elimination. They went into this match with a knife between their teeth, and it stayed there until the final whistle.
And when Colombia went on the attack, the Canadian defence was robust, solid, impenetrable. With a simple objective up front – victory or nothing – the Canadian esprit de corps was visible on both sides of the playing surface.
The end of the match was complicated, with Cafeteros pushing and pushing until the final whistle. For them, a draw was enough. They are now eliminated, while France has taken first place in the group.
Earlier Wednesday, the Sports Tribunal rejected Canada Soccer’s appeal request to review the six-point penalty.
FIFA also revealed additional details regarding head coach Bev Priestman: she knew that Canada Soccer employees were spying on opponents.
“It can be the difference between winning and losing, and the top 10 teams in the world all do it,” she wrote in an email to a Canada Soccer employee last March.