The Canadian women’s soccer team has won each of its first two matches and is looking ahead to the quarterfinals, but will be pegged as big underdogs when they face Germany in their last match of Group play at the Rio 2016 Olympics.
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On Tuesday, Germany scored first when Melanie Behringer fired in a penalty shot in the 13th minute at a sparsely filled Mane Garrincha Stadium. They are now sitting in second place in Group F, with Canada in first.
The 10th-ranked Canadian women renew acquaintances with a familiar foe in France in Friday’s quarter-final at the Corinthians Arena. No. 2 world-ranked Germany beat Zimbabwe 6-1 to open group play, but had to fight back to secure a 2-2 draw with Australia in their second game. Canada, as had been often mentioned leading up to the match, had never even earned a point against Germany in global play.
Tancredi’s decisive marker came off a header in the 60th minute when she created about a foot of separation on the German defence and found the corner of the net.
The top two teams in each of the three groups and two best third-place finishers advance to the knockout rounds. They could meet again in the semifinals.
Tancredi then tied the match in the 26th minute with a well-placed low shot.
Perhaps a day will come when defeating the likes of Germany, France and (hey, who knows) the United States will be a relatively commonplace occurrence for Canada.
Later, the Germans did show they wouldn’t go down quietly as they closed in several times on Canadian goalkeeper Stephanie Labbé several times in the final minutes before stoppage time.
Just as she was crucial to Canada’s run in 2012, Tancredi remains vital to the national team’s success.
Case in point: Canada pulled out the win with defender Kadeisha Buchanan serving a one-game ban and top forwards Christine Sinclair and Janine Beckie along with midfielder Diana Matheson being rested by Herdman with his team playing its third game in seven days.
Tancredi, winning her 123rd cap, served as captain.
Tancredi, who hails from Ancaster, Ont., answered Melanie Behringer’s goal in the 13th minute with a handsome kick to the corner past diving German goalkeeper Almuth Schult for her 26th career worldwide goal.
The Germans had 69 per cent possession in the first half and had eight corners to Canada’s one.
Four years ago, Canada battened down the hatches against a technically superior French team and popped a last-minute victor to claim a historic Olympic bronze.
Tancredi continued to be a menace to the Germans and in the 60th minute, a Rebecca Quinn free-kick found the strong forward and she easily headed in.
A clumsy challenge by Belanger in the 35th minute produced a German free kick just outside the penalty box.
For the first 25 minutes of Canada’s match today against Germany, it looked as though this one would end the way that the previous 12 meetings had.
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France beat Colombia 4-0 and New Zealand 3-0 around a 1-0 loss to the U.S.
