Just Two Days Ago, The CWNT Made History
If you don’t know, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics are in full swing in Japan. Since it’s the summer olympics, there is a women’s soccer tournament. The tournament has been on for about 10 days, and in those ten days, 9 preliminary games were played, 4 qualifying games were played, and 2 semifinal games. The tournament started with 16 teams from all over the world, and now, it’s down to the last two teams. Canada and Sweden. But to get to the history that was made a couple days ago, we have to go back to the beginning.
25 Years Ago, Canada Went Up Against America For The First Time In Women’s Soccer
In the late 1980’s the USWNT went up against the CWNT for the very first time. In the about 20 years since then, the CWNT and USWNT met on the pitch 36 times. The last olympic games that the CWNT played against the USWNT was a semi-final game in London (2012), which resulted in an American win of 4-3 in overtime. That game determined that the USWNT would be playing for gold, and Canada for bronze. Since 2012, the CWNT won bronze at the London 2012 games and at the 2016 Rio games. Their goal going into Tokyo 2020 was to change the colour of their medal, which they’ve successfully done.
In The Nerve-Wracking Game On Monday Morning, Canada Beat America In A 1-0 Match
The game was very well played by both teams. The USWNT was favoured to win, as they’ve had a very good season thus far, but Canada pulled ahead in the 74th minute of the game, when Canada’s 23 year old Jesse Fleming scored on a penalty kick against America’s Adrianna Franch.
In The 19th Minute Of The Game, The USA Goalkeeper Suffered A Hyperextension Of Her Right Knee.
During the 19th minute, America’s goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher was coming down from a goal-saving jump catch and collided with fellow teammate, Julie Ertz. Naeher got immediate medical attention from the sideline medics, and looked like she was good to keep playing. At around 28 minutes into the game, she had to take her first kick since the hypertension of her kicking leg (right). The expression of pure pain on her face was obvious to everyone at the stadium, and she was taken off and replaced by substitute goalie, Adrianna Franch.
Canadian Goalkeeper, Steph Labbé, Made Some Incredible Saves
The Canadian goalkeeper is definitely one of the best players on the team, and one of the best in the league. In their game against Japan, Labbé dislocated a rib and was off for the rest of that game and the following game against Chile. She was back for the quarterfinals against Brazil, saving every shot during the game, and 2 of 5 during the penalty shootout, giving Canada the victory. Labbé made many saves during this game like games prior and saved some amazing shots. Some of my favourites are featured in this highlight reel from the CBC.
After 74 No Goal Minutes, Canada Scored On A Penalty Shot Awarded To Deanne Rose
Deanne Rose (6) was passed to and was in the box when American, Tierna Davidson (12), kicked/pushed Deanne over. Originally, the referee was going to just give the Canadians an out-of-box free kick, but the Canadian team challenged that. The referee then went to the VAR (virtual assistant referee) and after consideration and viewing from multiple angles, awarded Canada a penalty kick. Canadian captain Christine Sinclair gave the shot to 23 year old midfielder Jesse Fleming. Fleming shot for the bottom right corner of the net and scored. Goalkeeper Franch dove for it, but fell short. The game finished as a 1-0 win for the Canadians, and a ticket to the gold medal game for the Canadians.
This Was, And Is, A Huge Moment For The CWNT
Not only did they beat their rivals, but they also can change the colour of their medal. They won’t be winning bronze this year, they’ll be winning gold or silver. The Canada vs. Sweden gold medal match is being held at the Yokohama Stadium in Tokyo on Friday, August 6, at 9pm local time (8am on August 6 EST). The bronze medal match has already been completed, and the USWNT won against Australia 4-3.
Share This Article
