MARSEILLE, France – Janine Beckie was looking forward to some family time. Jessie Fleming said she just needed a break. Vanessa Gilles, like all members of the squad, was full of pride.
With dejection etched on their faces, members of the Canadian women’s soccer team slowly walked through the interview area Saturday night at a muggy Stade de Marseille after an extended battle with Germany.
The side’s unforgettable fortnight at the Paris Games — which included a few highs and many crushing lows — had come to an end with a shootout loss in the quarterfinals.
“I think it (has been) a really galvanizing experience,” Beckie said. “I’m closer to these 21 players than any teammates I’ve ever played with.”
A drone spying scandal nearly derailed the team in the group stage. Germany finally ended Canada’s bid to repeat as Olympic champions with a 4-2 win on penalty kicks after neither team scored in regulation or extra time.
Lasting until the second weekend of the Games was an impressive feat for a team that dealt with seemingly constant off-field developments. The distractions started a few days before the opener and didn’t let up until the knockout stage.
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“Ultimately these moments can make you or break you,” said acting head coach Andy Spence. “I think with this team it’s absolutely going to make them.”
Spence filled in admirably for Bev Priestman, one of three coaching staff members given one-year suspensions by FIFA after a team analyst was caught using a drone at a New Zealand practice session.
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The sport’s governing body came down hard on the eighth-ranked Canadians. There was no suggestion the players had any involvement but they were still docked six points in the standings.
The sanction was a gutpunch since it was like wiping two wins from the compact three-game group stage. Canada was put into early must-win mode and responded.
A stunning highlight came in a dramatic 2-1 comeback victory over second-ranked France when Gilles scored in the 12th minute of injury time.
Next up was another must-win game against Colombia, which came shortly an appeal of the point deduction had been dismissed. That disappointment was put aside too as the Canadians improved to 3-0-0 with a 1-0 win that somehow gave them second place in Group A.
A listless start to the Germany game was followed by a strong second half, thanks in part to a wave of early substitutions. Canada controlled play and threatened again in extra time but couldn’t fully break the fourth-ranked team’s back line.
Canada outshot Germany 23-11 and had a 5-1 edge in shots on target.
“To have gone this far I think is a testament to our group and to our mentality,” Gilles said. “Losing in PKs is always bittersweet. Obviously in the last Olympics we got the better end of that deal.”
Julia Grosso provided the golden moment three years ago with her successful kick from the spot in Tokyo. She could only watch this time around — along with Fleming, who missed the second half with a head injury — as Canada was stopped on two of its four kicks.
German goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger delivered the final blow as she slotted home the winner past Kailen Sheridan.
“The game is the game at times and that’s how it can work out,” Spence said.
The Canadian players went their separate ways on Sunday. Some will take a well-earned break while others returned to their club teams.
For Canada Soccer, which was fined the equivalent of C$313,000 by FIFA, the heavy lifting is just beginning.
The federation is backing a full independent investigation. Chief executive officer Kevin Blue, who has been on the job a few months, said the probe will look into what he called a potential “systemic ethical shortcoming.”
It’s the first time since the 2008 Beijing Games that the Canadian team will not appear on the Olympic podium.
“This experience will no doubt make us stronger as individuals and as players,” Beckie said. “I think in the midst of all of this, you’ve seen some of Canada’s best performances ever as a team.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 4, 2024.
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© 2024 The Canadian Press
