Canada celebrates Olympic gold with 2-0 win over Nigeria in women’s soccer friendly
VANCOUVER — The Canadian ladies’s soccer workforce celebrated their Olympic championship with a 2-0 victory over Nigeria in a pleasant match on Friday.
Jessie Flemming opened the scoring within the 51st minute and Vanessa Gilles padded the house facet’s lead with a purpose within the 72nd.
Veteran Canadian goalkeeper Stephanie Labbe was excellent by the ultimate 45 minutes of her soccer profession. She was changed simply after half by Kailen Sheridan, who preserved the clear sheet.
Canada performed in crimson jerseys with every participant’s identify and quantity emblazoned on the again in gold, a nod to the medal the workforce gained on the Tokyo Olympics final summer time.
The Canadians are at the moment ranked sixth on the earth and Nigeria sits at No. 39.
The 2 sides will meet once more for the second recreation within the B.C. leg of the celebration tour Monday in Langford, B.C.
Canada went up 2-0 within the 72nd minute following a nook kick from Janine Beckie.
Jordyn Huitema received a head on the ball, sending it in to Gilles, who headed it in previous Nigerian ‘keeper Chiamaka Nnadozie.
Sheridan made her greatest cease of the night time within the 68th minute, diving to ship a blast from Oyedupe Payne simply huge of the publish.
Deanne Rose arrange the primary purpose of the sport, sending the ball to Flemming on the prime of the six-yard field within the 51st minute. Flemming took a sharp-angle shot that went excessive over the shoulder of goalkeeper Tochukwu Oluehi.
Oluehi was changed in web by Nnadozie within the seventieth minute after showing to undergo an harm.
The second half began with an emotional second as Sheridan changed Labbe in purpose.
The elder ‘keeper saluted the standing, cheering crowd — together with a whole part of her family and friends — earlier than hugging her alternative on the sideline.
Tears ran down Labbe’s face as she hugged head coach Bev Priestman, the remainder of the Canadian coaching workers and her teammates on the sideline.
The 35-year-old native of Stony Plain, Alta., introduced her retirement in January and has already performed her closing recreation for her skilled workforce, Paris-Saint Germain.
The house facet managed nearly all of the motion throughout the primary half however Labbe was pressed into motion within the twenty eighth minute.
Rasheedat Ajibade broke by the Canadian defence and despatched a rocket flying from the highest of the field however Labbe dove to make a fingertip save and preserve the rating knotted at 0-0.
Canada had a main likelihood within the nineteenth minute when Beckie despatched a cross into Sinclair within the field. The captain went for a header and despatched a shot into Oluehi’s midsection from simply exterior the six-yard field.
Sinclair was honoured in a pre-game ceremony for breaking the worldwide purpose scoring document when she recorded her 185th again in January 2019.
The much-delayed celebration noticed a video of a few of Sinclair’s highlights proven on the massive display screen earlier than the 38-year-old from Burnaby, B.C., and her two nieces took to the sphere the place she obtained a commemorative print and a standing ovation from the hometown crowd.
Large cheers stuffed the stadium because the Canada walked out on to the sphere earlier than kickoff. The gamers, with gold medals draped round their necks, clapped and waved for the cheering crowd earlier than being offered with Olympic championship rings.
Friday marked the primary time the Canadian and Nigerian ladies’s groups confronted one another since April 2019 when Canada took a 2-1 choice in a pleasant in Spain.
Canada was taking part in its first recreation at B.C. Place since November 2017 when the ladies’s squad battled the Individuals to a 1-1 draw.
NOTES: Two Nigerian gamers had been taken off the sphere on stretchers. Ebi Onome left the sport within the 59th minute and Grace Kanu within the eightieth minute … A ceremony was held post-game to have a good time Labbe … All 22 gamers who gained gold for Canada in Tokyo are at the moment with the ladies’s workforce, plus seven younger gamers Priestman hopes to include into upcoming lineups.
This report by The Canadian Press was first printed April 8, 2022.
Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press
