We could talk about the resilience of the Canadian women’s soccer team, which was able to recover from its emotions after conceding the first goal against New Zealand on Thursday, but that 2-1 victory in the opener of the Olympic tournament will always be associated with an asterisk.
Too bad for Quebec’s Évelyne Viens, who scored the winning goal at the end of the second half.
• Also read: Drone espionage: The IOC considers the sanctions imposed on the team to be sufficient
• Also read: Five ugly moments in Canadian sports history
• Also read: Spying at Soccer Canada: “It doesn’t seem to be the first time”
Regardless of the outcome of their first game of the Olympic tournament against New Zealand, the Canadian women’s soccer team could not win in terms of image on Thursday.
In the morning, the columnist of New Zealand Herald Headline: “Canada spies on the Football Ferns [le surnom donné à l’équipe de soccer du pays] is dirtier than the Seine”, linked to the worrying pollution of this river that flows through the heart of Paris.
A win would reinforce the notion that the team cheated to achieve its goals, while a draw or loss would be a disappointment for this Canadian team, which is ranked much higher on the world stage than New Zealand (8e against 28e).
And that was before TSN revealed it that this was not the first time Canada had used this type of illegal tactic before important games.
Photo credit: AFP Photo
“It was tough for the group,” said New Zealand interim coach Michael Mayne after the game. It’s hard not to look at the result and wonder what would have happened [si l’espionnage n’avait pas eu lieu].
“That wouldn’t happen to us. It’s pretty simple, isn’t it? It just wouldn’t happen. My job is to look after my employees and monitor the way we work.”
- Listen to the news review commented by Jean-François Baril QUB:
A noticeable discomfort
As for the players on the Canadian team, it must be acknowledged that they have shown resilience.
Damaged by acts they had not committed, they had a difficult start to the game and allowed the first goal in the 13th minutee minute before he came back to win.
“We are not cheaters,” assured Vanessa Gilles after the game in Saint-Étienne.
Photo credit: AFP Photo
“We’re still learning a lot and as a group we’re still digesting everything,” said captain Jessie Fleming. It all happened at a terrible time, but we relied on each other and focused on being here and playing.”
It is still unclear what will happen with the outcome of this match. An investigation by FIFA and the International Olympic Committee should provide further information in the coming days.
In cooperation with our partners
Avid beer trailblazer. Friendly student. Tv geek. Coffee junkie. Total writer. Hipster-friendly internet practitioner. Pop culture fanatic.
