TAKEAWAYS: CanWNT starts Olympics with win vs. New Zealand, gets set for stiff France test amid drone scandal
After a chaotic week marred by scandal, the CanWNT took the field for their Olympic opener vs. New Zealand in Saint Etienne on Thursday.
Certainly, it was less than ideal conditions to enter such a match for the defending Olympic gold medallists, who had garnered worldwide attention for being involved in a drone spying scandal that saw two staff members sent home and head coach Bev Priestman temporarily step down for this match after an analyst was caught spying on New Zealand’s training with a drone.
Despite that, the team had to put that behind them in time for this opener, one which was massive for them, as they faced arguably their easiest group match on paper. No doubt, it was never going to be an easy match, if there is such a thing at a tournament like the Olympics, but it didn’t help that they now had to face a fired-up New Zealand side looking to prove a point.
For a moment, it looked like the Football Ferns might shock the world, too, taking an early lead off a set-piece from Mackenzie Barry.
From there, however, Canada did well to shake off their outside distractions and got to work, showing why they were able to win gold in Tokyo. First, they crafted a well-worked equalizer through Cloé Lacasse, before finding a 79th-minute winner through Evelyne Viens, doing well to hold on the rest of the way to claim a crucial 2-1 victory.
It was far from their best performance, but it was a gutsy result, one that this Canadian side will look to rally around as they put the chaos of this past week behind them.
That’ll be tough to do as new details continue to emerge in the story, as Priestman was then removed from her role for the rest of the tournament soon after the victory, meaning assistant coach Andy Spence will remain as an interim head coach through the rest of the Olympics after stepping up for this game, and some may wonder if that won’t be the last development in this ongoing story, either.
Statement: Suspension of Bev Priestman
— Canada Soccer (@CanadaSoccerEN) July 26, 2024
Despite that, until they hear otherwise, Canada will keep pushing onward and take each game as they come as they look to defend their gold medal.
Here are some key takeaways from a chaotic first day of action for this Canadian team.
Lacasse and Viens show Canada what they missed in 2023:
When it comes to this Canadian side, the less said about the 2023 World Cup, the better, as they were unable to make it out of the group stages for the first time since 2011, scoring just two goals (one of them being an own goal) while conceding five en route to their early exit.
In particular, there were a lot of questions asked of the team’s attack, as they entered the tournament with some key injuries and some players who weren’t fully fit or in form, yet who played a key chunk of minutes.
That came at the expense of players like Cloé Lacasse and Evelyne Viens, who despite being in strong form in Portugal and Sweden, respectively, were used more as rotational pieces instead of earning key minutes as some might’ve hoped them to.
Despite that, they didn’t let that setback hold them down at the club level, as both made key moves last summer - Lacasse moved to English giants Arsenal, while Viens made the move to Italian giants Roma.
Both moves paid off massively for the pair in 2023-2024 - Lacasse made 28 appearances for Arsenal, scoring five goals and adding two assists while helping her team win a League Cup, while Viens scored 18 goals and added eight assists across 37 appearances for Roma, helping her side complete a league and cup double while earning the Serie A Golden Boot and ‘Striker of the Season’ awards along the way.
Because of that, one had to expect both to play a massive role in this tournament, as they were arguably two of Canada’s top performers at the club level this past season, giving this team some new juice up front.
And in just this game, they proved what they can bring to the table.
A reminder that Cloé Lacasse had only 121 minutes and Evelyne Viens 97 minutes at the 2023 World Cup despite the #CanWNT/#CanXNT having several injuries and out-of-form players in attack
— Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic (@AlexGangueRuzic) July 25, 2024
Great to see the pair score huge goals today to open their respective Olympic/WC accounts
First, there was Lacasse’s goal, which came as part of a strong performance from the Arsenal attacker. A versatile player, she does well to get open and link up with her teammates, making it fitting that her goal came from her ability to make the smart action to cap off a swift attacking move.
Having scored over 100 goals for Benfica before her move to Arsenal, she’s made a knack of being able to finish those kinds of plays over the years but hasn’t been able to do so regularly for Canada, having previously scored five goals in 36 caps for her country. Plus, given that three of those goals came in friendlies, and just two of them in competitive matches (one in an Olympic qualifier last fall, the other at the Gold Cup earlier this year), making this goal her first at a major international tournament (World Cup or Olympics), that shows why this goal was so massive for her.
Meanwhile, with Viens, she had to do her work off the bench, as she was unable to earn a start, but she showed that she could still bring value to this Canadian side in a super-sub role. Someone who is always eager to run at defenders and is relentless with her work rate off the ball, she can be a nightmare to deal with when tired, and she showed that on her goal, which came from her ability to run off the shoulder of defenders.
Yet, that’s why she’s scored so many goals at the club level, as she knows how to put herself in dangerous positions, and she’s pretty good at finishing the chances she gets. For Canada, however, she’s been unable to carve out a regular role, which is why this was just her sixth goal in 32 games and her first at a major tournament, having also previously only scored two competitive goals along with three goals in friendlies.
Thanks to those pair of major tournament firsts, Canada was able to carve out a key victory, one that now puts them on the right path towards making it out of their group.
Now, look for Lacasse and Viens to build off this, as there’s no doubt that they can bring a lot to the table for this Canadian attack going forward, but they’ve just needed an opportunity, one they deservedly got against New Zealand. 
Fleming thrives in free midfield role:
As the team’s captain, there’s no doubting Jessie Fleming’s importance to this side.
A key leader on and off the pitch, she’s the heartbeat of this team, doing a lot to make them tick.
Sometimes, however, with all of the tireless work she does in midfield, especially defensively, what she can do on the ball can be forgotten. At her best, she can spray the ball around, make great late runs into the box, and chip in with goals and assists, but for Canada, she doesn’t always get to do all of that.
Paired in a double pivot, her main responsibilities tend to be more on the defensive side, as well as with her team’s ball progression, which while important, isn’t the full package of what Fleming can bring to the table.
In this game, however, she was given a bit more freedom to do her thing as New Zealand sat back a bit deeper, which combined with Fleming being paired with Quinn in midfield, who is a bit more defensive, allowed Fleming to push forward.
That was key, as Fleming put in a dominant offensive performance, chipping in with an assist as part of a showing that also saw her generate seven chances, as she had her fingers on most of what her side created offensively.
Plus, she did so in multiple ways, too. For example, her assist came from her excellent ball progression, as she found Viens with a perfectly weighted pass from deep, but then Fleming also got in between lines like a #10 and even made runs like a forward that opened up space for her teammates.
Essentially, she was given the freedom to find space in the final third, whether it was out wide, centrally or in behind New Zealand’s defence, doing well to consistently pop up on the ball in dangerous areas.
That added another layer to Canada’s attack, who certainly have the pieces to be dangerous up front, but are at their best when they receive support from those underneath them, be it from their wing backs or midfielders.
Fleming provided them with that support in a big way in this game, and it helped them massively en route to victory.
2 key standouts at both ends for the #CanWNT/#CanXNT vs🇳🇿 - Jessie Fleming in attack and Jade Rose at the back
— Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic (@AlexGangueRuzic) July 25, 2024
Key stats from both:
Fleming:
1 assist
7 key passes (!)
1 shot
1 dribble
3 fouls won
4/7 crosses
Rose:
3 clearances
2 interceptions
5 tackle attempts
9/12 duels won pic.twitter.com/9Nz6on89pQ
Now, however, it poses an interesting question - will Fleming be able to find such freedom in games where space might be more at a premium in midfield, like against France, who have the talent and the set-up to make things tough for their opponents in midfield?
When watching Fleming shine in this game, one can only wonder if Canada might consider deploying a third midfielder alongside Fleming and Quinn, such as Simi Awujo, giving Fleming the freedom to push forward and be influential even if space is at more of a premium, because they’re going to need Fleming at her best once again in that sort of match.
What to expect from France after a chaotic match?
Speaking of France, however, Canada must now focus their attention on the hosts, who they’ll get set to play on Sunday, July 28th.
Their toughest game of the group stages, as France are expected to make a deep run this tournament, it’ll be a good test for Canada, one that could give a good idea of how likely it is they can go on a run in this competition.
Despite that, it’s worth noting that this French team faces a lot of pressure, and have historically underperformed at tournaments like this. Not only that, but they’re coming off a near-disaster of an opening match against Colombia, who they narrowly beat 3-2.
After an excellent start, one that saw France wow and look like the favourites they were en route to grabbing a commanding 3-0 lead at half time, they were nearly stunned in the second half, as Colombia scored two goals and looked likely to grab a third before a late red card to Mayra Ramírez halted their momentum.
Because of that, it’s hard to know what to make of France’s performance, especially in terms of figuring out what team Canada might face on Sunday.
Thrilling game between 🇫🇷and🇨🇴, as 🇫🇷took a 3-0 lead by HT, but then🇨🇴nearly came back, making it 3-2 but ran out of gas after a Mayra Ramírez red card
— Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic (@AlexGangueRuzic) July 25, 2024
🇫🇷 thrived in the 1st half with their press, play in possession and the work of Katoto up front - lots to watch on Sunday for🇨🇦
Will it be the free-flowing, high-pressing side that completely overwhelmed Colombia and could’ve been up by four or five at half time? Or will it be the timid side that seemed to run out of gas and ideas as Colombia gained confidence in the second half?
Certainly, Canada should prepare for the former, but the latter shows they should aim to start strong, as they could potentially put France under pressure with an early goal, instead of allowing them to play from the front.
That’s where this French team is at their best, as they look to press very aggressively, deploying a high defensive line and an aggressive defensive system, one that looks to force mistakes out of teams when playing out of the back. From there, they look to create wide overloads with their talent in wide areas, but are also comfortable playing centrally and looking to funnel the ball forward through that avenue, making them a tough team to defend.
And that’ll pose an interesting stylistic matchup for this Canadian side. In possession, Canada has struggled with playing through a high press in the past, so that’ll be a big test for them, while defensively they’ll need their midfielders and wing backs to stick together and not leave massive gaps when pushing forward, as they need to get them behind the ball whenever they defend.
At the same time, there are also areas for Canada to exploit. For example, France likes to defend quite narrowly, opening up space for the ball to be switched out wide into space, something Canada can do quite well from their midfielders to their wingers and wing backs.
Also, with France’s high line, Canada can try and exploit that with their speed running in behind, which could benefit players like Lacasse, Viens and Nichelle Prince, who are quick and comfortable playing directly.
So while they’ll have their hands full trying to not get overwhelmed with the press and to defend the dangerous Marie-Antoinette Katoto, who scored a brace and could’ve had a hat trick in the opener, they’ll be able to cause problems of their own to the French.
That’s why this is expected to be an exciting matchup, as it’ll be a tough chess match, one that could potentially decide this group.
