Canadian dream one step closer
Shutout locks up knockout-round spot, group still in play
Canada 2 New Zealand 0 NEXT GAME: THURSDAY VS. NETHERLANDS
GRENOBLE, FRANCE— Two wins in as many games for Canada at the Women’s World Cup, and coach Kenneth Heiner-Moller sees even better things ahead.
“I’m very happy for the win, but I know this team has got more,” the Dane said after Saturday’s 2-0 victory over New Zealand moved his team into the round of 16. “It’s like you’re hungry and you’re eating a little bit, but you’re still hungry. I know this team can do so much more.”
After dispatching No. 46 Cameroon1-0 and now 19th-ranked New Zealand, the fifth-ranked Canadians head 600 kilometres north to Reims where they will face the eighth-ranked Netherlands on Thursday to decide who tops Group E. The teams are tied on points and goal difference. The European champion Dutch beat winless Cameroon 3-1 earlier Saturday at Valenciennes and also advanced to the knockout stage.
The Netherlands offers a step up in class, with Heiner-Moller noting the Dutch have “more experience, more confidence and with players playing in the bigger leagues in Europe.”
Finishing first in the group would set up a round-of-16 date against the runner-up in Group D — England or Japan, who face off Wednesday. Placing second means a date with the Group F runner-up, likely Sweden unless the U.S. stumbles. Heiner-Moller said he has no preference.
“We took two steps forward,” he said. “Hopefully we’ll take a third one, and then we’ll play whoever we’re going to play.”
England, France, Germany and Italy have also booked their tickets to the next round, making Canada the first nonEuropean side to advance.
As in the opener against Cameroon, goals proved hard to come by initially for the Canadians despite dominating play on Saturday.
Jessie Fleming and Nichelle Prince
each opened their World Cup account with goals in the second half as Canada wore down New Zealand. Captain Christine Sinclair, in search of goal No. 182, could have had a hat trick, hitting the woodwork twice and firing high another time, but ended up setting up Prince’s goal.
Before the game, a former World Cup coach described the Kiwis as a cut below the Canadians but able to give an opponent trouble. The Football Ferns, who upset No. 3 England in a pre-tournament tune-up, never got out of first gear, however.
In a planned move, HeinerMoller switched from a 4-3-3 to a 3-5-2 formation in the first 15 minutes, widening the attack. Canada controlled the game, but managed just one quality scoring chance in the opening half. A minute after Bott was helped off, Sinclair’s header off a flick-on from a corner rattled off the crossbar. The ball went to Kadeisha Buchanan whose header hit a defender as the game of aerial ping-pong continued.
Stephanie Labbé had to make an important interjection in the 39th minute, punching away a cross on a rare New Zealand counterattack.
The Canadians controlled the first half, essentially playing keepaway with New Zealand, but 73 per cent possession in the first 45 minutes did not produce a goal as Canada outshot the Football Ferns 8-1 (2-0 in shots on target).
“(It was) frustrating that first half. We dominated, but just weren’t able to put one in,” Sinclair said. “Then Kenneth came in at halftime and said the work that we’d put in in that first half will earn us goals in the second half, and it happened.
“It’s hard to keep that up for 90 minutes defensively.”
Canada came out with purpose in the second half, with a 14-pass sequence off the kickoff that led to a Beckie shot over the bar.
The breakthrough came in the 48th minute. A probing long ball from Beckie found Prince down the left flank and the speedy forward outraced two defenders before squaring the ball for the 21-year-old Fleming to slot in her ninth goal in 68 appearances.
Sinclair almost made it 2-0 soon after, but her redirect from in front went high. And Sinclair fed the 24-year-old Prince in the 72nd minute, only to have her header acrobatically steered away by goalkeeper Erin Nayler with a marvellous one-handed save.
Prince made it 2-0 in the 79th minute, poking a rebound home from close range after Sinclair’s header hit the goalpost. It was her 11th goal for Canada. Veteran midfielder Sophie Schmidt and Sinclair called the goal-scorers before the game. Schmidt said she picked Fleming, while Sinclair took Prince.
The Canadians finished with 70-per-cent possession, completing 523 passes to New Zealand’s 145. Canada outshot the Kiwis 17-2 (6-0 on target).
“I thought we played some brilliant football and gave them nothing,” Schmidt said.
Canada is now unbeaten in 10 games (7-0-3) in 2019, one off the team record. The run includes nine shutouts with the Canadians outscoring the opposition 11-1.
Heiner-Moller’s team has not lost since a 2-0 defeat at the hands of the top-ranked U.S. in the CONCACAF Women’s Championship last October. Canada also extended its shutout streak to 423 minutes, dating back to a 2-1 friendly win over Nigeria on April 8.