After a frustrating game in which there were 74 stoppages according to coach Bev Priestman, Canada are looking to find their bearings on Monday against Costa Rica at the CONCACAF Women’s Championship in Mexico.
Posted at 3:20 p.m.
Canada, ranked sixth in the world, still won 1-0 against No. 57 Panama on Friday. That result, combined with a 6-0 victory over No.76 Trinidad and Tobago, saw Canada confirm their participation in the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand with a match to be played in the phase. of groups.
Since Panama’s players were falling at the slightest touch, Preistman estimated that the referee whistled on average every 80 seconds.
“The most important thing for us is to get over this game,” Priestman said Sunday. It wasn’t perfect, but we got the job done. However, we have to play in a way where these situations do not affect our pace.
“We therefore hope to find our bearings and our wanderings. We will need it in the following matches. »
Full-back Ashley Lawrence said the Canadian team wanted to learn from the first two games of the tournament.
“We have to understand that there will be frustrating moments. But these are things that are out of our control, she said. So we have to be focused on the things we control. And that is our game. How we want to impose ourselves on the opponent. This has been the basis of our success in the past. »
The Group B top spot will be at stake Monday at the Estadio BBVA in Monterrey against No. 37 Costa Rica. The Costa Ricans beat Panama 3-0 and Trinidad and Tobago 4-0.
“They have good players,” Priestman said of the Costa Rica team. It’s a good team that we must have. »
Canada has won each of its previous 14 games against Costa Rica by a combined score of 47-6.
Their last meeting dates back to February 2018, when Canada won 1-0 in the semi-finals of the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
The team that finishes top of Group B should avoid the United States in the semi-finals. The Americans conclude the group stage on Monday by facing the Mexicans.
Canada won the tournament in 1998 and 2010, each time beating Mexico in the final. The United States has won the other eight editions of the tournament.
The team that wins the tournament will also get its ticket to the Paris Olympics in 2024 and to the first edition of the Women’s Gold Cup, also in 2024.
The teams that finish in second and third place will face each other in September 2023 for a series of qualifications for the Olympics and the Gold Cup.