TAKEAWAYS: CanWNT picks up memorable late win over France, keeping QF hopes alive ahead of Group A finale vs. Colombia
You often learn the most about a team when their backs are against the wall.
When everything is against you, the chips are down, and time is slipping away, can you step up and deliver?
The CanWNT proved that they can on Sunday, picking up a key win to put them one game away from a remarkable turnaround, as they can still advance from their Olympic group despite earning a six-point deduction as part of the punishment handed down by FIFA for being caught spying on New Zealand’s training with a drone ahead of the Olympics.
Having been handed the punishment after their opener against New Zealand, which they won 2-1, it put massive pressure on them ahead of their next clash, a meeting with the hosts France in Saint-Etienne on Sunday, a game which Canada needed to win to stay alive.
And despite going down a goal in the first half, they got the job done in the end, getting the result they needed with a 102nd-minute winner from Vanessa Gilles to earn another 2-1 result.
With that, they now head into their third group stage game still able to advance from their group with a win over Colombia on Wednesday, allowing them to complete their remarkable turnaround from -6 points to reach the quarter-finals.
Now, the #CanWNT/#CanXNT can reach the Olympic QFs with a win vs 🇨🇴, which would guarantee a top 2 finish in Group A no matter what happens in 🇫🇷vs🇳🇿
— Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic (@AlexGangueRuzic) July 28, 2024
ALSO- believe it or not, 🇨🇦 can even win the group (!) if 🇳🇿 beat 🇫🇷 without making up the 3 GD they currently trail 🇨🇦 by
Of course, the scenario could change between now and then, as Canada Soccer is in the midst of an appeal to the Court of Arbitration of Sports, which could potentially see the point deduction reduced, the result of which they’d likely know ahead of the Colombia match, but that shouldn’t change the goal for Canada - they’ll want to cap off this group stage with another victory.
BREAKING: Canada Soccer is appealing the FIFA punishment at the ad hoc division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport at Paris 2024.
— Ben Steiner (@BenSteiner00) July 29, 2024
A hearing with the parties is likely to take place on 30 July 2024, and the final decision should be issued at around midday on 31 July 2024.… pic.twitter.com/lmxcK67qDu
After their win over France, they’ve now got momentum on their side, and they’ll look to ride it as long as they can, showing their ability to step up amid moments of adversity.
Speaking of that momentum, here’s what they learned in their match against France, and what awaits them in their finale against Colombia.
Unsung heroes step up to create special moment:
As Jordyn Huitema’s 102nd-minute shot went towards the goal, forcing a save out of France’s Constance Picaud, time seemed to stop as the ball settled for one of Huitema’s teammates inside the box, with the game at their feet.
At first, however, it was hard to pick out who the ball had fallen to. Certainly, Canadian fans would’ve been hoping that it was the feet of forwards Adriana Leon, Evelyne Viens or Huitema once again, but instead, it fell to an unlikely name - centre back Vanessa Gilles.
Known more for her scoring abilities with her head than with her feet, it was a strange sight to see her receive the ball in such a position, yet it reflected how badly Canada needed to score, as they’d thrown up numbers in chase of a winner.
At the same time, Gilles likely didn’t expect to have the game on her left foot in the 102nd minute, as she was probably expecting to try and head one home on a cross, which one would assume she did when seeing that she scored late on. One of the best headers of the ball in the world, that would’ve been a fitting and expected conclusion.
If Gilles wasn’t expecting to receive it with her feet at that moment, however, it didn’t show, as she then produced one of the most important moments in this program’s history. Despite it falling on her left foot, she took the shot on her first touch, firing a low attempt that just nicked the inside of the post and squeezed into the back of the net to give her team a late lead.
From there, instead of reeling off in celebration, Gilles reared her head back and delivered a roar, one fitting not just of the goal, but of the past week her Canadian team had gone through, as she instantly realized how key this was for her team.
But while Gilles ended up being the face of Canada’s late comeback, especially after her spirited post-game comments to CBC after the game, it’s important to remember that her moment of magic nearly never happened.
Just minutes earlier, Canada’s goalkeeper, Kailen Sheridan, somehow pulled off an improbable save on Marie-Antoinette Katoto, who was looking for her fourth goal in just two games, having done well to find herself wide-open in Canada’s box with the ball at her feet.
Instead of slotting the ball into the back of the net, however, as most would’ve expected her to, her attempt would be denied spectacularly by Sheridan, who sprawled over and threw everything she had at the shot, keeping the ball out with the tip of her fingers.
That paved the way for the Gilles winner and the rest of history.
Shout out to Kailen Sheridan and Vanessa Gilles, as 2 unsung defensive heroes shone for the #CanWNT/#CanXNT in crunch time
— Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic (@AlexGangueRuzic) July 28, 2024
That late save from Sheridan on Katoto was HUGE, paving the way for Gilles, who does so much important defending, to score the late winner
Fitting to see
Yet, this was a fitting end to this game for this Canadian team, who had to put in a shift defensively to keep France at bay all game long, especially after their early goal, which put a lot of pressure on Canada’s back three of Gilles, Kadeisha Buchanan and Jade Rose, along with Sheridan in goal.
Especially as Canada pushed numbers forward in chase of a goal, Gilles, Buchanan and Rose started to find themselves more isolated against French attackers, but they held strong as they looked to give their teammates a chance to win.
All tasked to step up in different moments in the second half, they found a way to answer each question thrown their way, allowing their team to get back into the game with their 58th-minute equalizer from Jessie Fleming before Gilles's late heroics settled the game.
And that’s key. No doubt, everyone on this Canadian team deserves praise for how they battled through until deep into this match, especially with how sound they were defensively, doing well to limit dangerous chances for France.
But for two of their most important defensive players to step up in the biggest moments as Sheridan and Gilles did? That’s massive, as it was a reminder of how important they are to this Canadian team when at their best, such as when Canada won gold off the back of their strong defensive play at Tokyo, with this moment serving as a chance to remember that importance.
Therefore, while it’s not the roles that Sheridan and Gilles would’ve liked to play in this game, as they would not have minded seeing Canada win 3-0 and not be tested, that they did step up is huge, allowing Canada to grab the win. 
What to make of Canada’s attack?
Naturally, a big storyline heading into the Olympics was with Canada’s attack, who had scored just six goals in six games en route to the gold medal in Tokyo, and had found the net just twice in three games en route to a disappointing group stage exit at the 2023 World Cup in Australia.
With Canada’s defensive prowess, they knew they didn’t need the offence to be pouring in goals at a high rate, as Tokyo showed, but no doubt they also needed to offer more of a consistent threat than they have at their past two major tournaments.
Because of that, they’ll be encouraged to see that through two games, Canada has already found the net four times, all from non-penalty situations - for context, that’s already matched their total from Tokyo (of their six goals at that tournament, they scored two from the penalty spot).
Not only that, but they’ve done well to generate chances in these two games, too, scoring their four goals on 27 shots (12 on target), and a solid 3.42 xG.
From there, they’ve done the important work, which is to finish those chances. Interestingly, their goals have come from four different sources - Gilles, Fleming, Cloé Lacasse and Evelyne Viens - for context, that’s as many different goalscorers as they had in Tokyo.
Given that Leon is yet to find the net this tournament despite entering with nine goals in nine games for Canada in 2024, and that forwards Huitema and Nichelle Prince are also yet to score, that’s encouraging, as that trio won’t look to be held off the scoresheet for a third game, giving them other names to rely on.
Plus, for what it’s worth, Canada has another gear to hit offensively, too. For as good as they’ve been across both games, it’s important to note that their best offensive work has come after they’ve gone down in both games, which forced them to chase the match given that they needed to win in both instances.
Against New Zealand, they were yet to generate a shot when the Football Ferns opened the scoring, and things didn’t go much better against France, as they had just one shot when Les Bleues scored.
But that leads to the big question mark surrounding this attack - can they find their feet without requiring interim head coach Andy Spence to turn to his bench?
To point #3, compare heat maps between Ashley Lawrence and Gabrielle Carle. No need for Lawrence to drift in as much when there's already 3 midfielders in possession. 🇨🇦 needs width, like what Carle is providing, which is why 🇨🇦's attack has been better on left side pic.twitter.com/yQUcXkWsjp
— Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic (@AlexGangueRuzic) July 28, 2024
That’ll be their big goal against Colombia, as Canada’s struggled to find a spark with the attacking groups they started each match with, which was the trio of Lacasse, Prince and Leon against New Zealand, and the duo of Prince and Huitema against France.
Because of that, it’ll be intriguing to see how Canada aims to fix that for their third match. Perhaps, it could lead to a start for Viens or Janine Beckie, who have brought a spark off the bench in both games, even if it might be tough to sacrifice having them as useful supersubs.
Ideally, however, there could be a scenario where one of Viens and Beckie starts, perhaps in the front three alongside Lacasse and Leon after both started the France game on the bench. From there, the other one can remain as a super sub alongside Huitema and Prince, ensuring that Canada still has the firepower to turn to if they continue to struggle from the start.
Either way, one thing’s for sure - if Canada can get another win, they’ll need their offence to keep clicking, and it would go a long way if they could get the goals early and often, instead of later in matches or after going down a goal, especially given the nature of this must-win Colombia match.
Canada gets set for third-straight must-win match vs. Colombia:
Speaking of Colombia, despite the euphoria of this France win, Canada must now shift their focus to that match, as a tough test awaits them on Wednesday.
There, Canada faces arguably their toughest game, at least when you consider the challenge of trying to refocus after the emotional nature of the France win, one that looked to take a huge toll on the players.
Incredible character and determination from this #CanWNT/#CanXNT side to pick up a comeback win vs the hosts with a late winner, keeping their Olympic hopes alive despite losing 6 points
— Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic (@AlexGangueRuzic) July 28, 2024
Might be one of the best wins in program history - what a special game from this side
It won’t be easy to recover from that toll, which was both physical and emotional, especially with little time between games.
From there, there’s also the other challenge - the threat Colombia poses as a team, as they’re a tough side and one that matches up well with Canada.
They’ve shown that in their first two games at these Olympics, as they nearly came from behind 3-0 against France, losing 3-2 in the end, before looking more like themselves in a comprehensive 2-0 victory over New Zealand on Sunday.
A strong defensive side, one that limited France to 10 shots and 1.14 xG before keeping New Zealand to four shots and just 0.07 xG, they know how to sit compactly in a 4-4-2 block that can sometimes operate as a 4-2-3-1, taking away space from their opponents and working extremely hard off the ball.
Against a Canadian team that has sometimes struggled to break down that kind of defensive set-up in the past, that’s something to watch, especially given that they’ll be expected to play on the front foot with this being a must-win game for them.
And that leads to the next thing to watch - Colombia’s threat in transition, especially through the dangerous Linda Caicedo on the flank, and Mayra Ramírez up front (although Ramírez looks to miss out on this game as she serves the 2nd game of a suspension earned for a red card in the opener). Against France, Colombia caused all sorts of problems through that pair, and they will hope they can have similar joy against Canada as they push numbers forward in chase of goals.
Because of that, this is going to be a huge test for Canada, in several ways. 
Offensively, this will put pressure on starting strong and being able to break down Colombia’s defence, which will require them to use their speed in attack, to stretch the field wide and then unlock Fleming between the lines as they did against New Zealand.
But defensively, they must be ready for Colombia’s transition threat, which will put a lot of pressure on Canada’s back three, especially if their wing backs get caught high up the field. Canada can help stem that in other ways, with the midfield a key avenue to provide help, which may call for a big defensive performance from Quinn, who will look to provide cover for moments when Canada does lose the ball.
At the same time, it’s worth noting that Canada has been preparing for this Colombia game for a while, with a pair of friendlies against Mexico in June proving to be a good test in that regard stylistically, so look for them to take what they learned from those games, in which Canada nabbed a win and a draw.
Now needing a win to ensure their France win can truly take its place as one of the greatest in program history, they’ll look to build off their first two victories at this tournament, allowing them to complete their remarkable turnaround in style and punch their ticket to the quarter-finals on Wednesday.
