SOCCER MEDIA REPORTS:
CANADA WINS 2 -1 VICTORY OVER ARGENTINA 6th August 2008
From Doug Smith of Torstar news services
TIANJIN – Canada’s debut in Olympics women’s soccer will go down as a success.
In their first appearance ever on such a grand stage, Canada beat Argentina 2-1 Wednesday evening in the first competitive event of the Beijing Games.
Goals by Candace Chapman (Ajax) in the 27th minute and Kara Lang (Oakville) in the 71st gave Canada a comfortable margin and allowed the Canadians
to withstand an 85th minute counter by Argentina’s Ludmila Manicler before about 20,000 fans in the 60,000-seat Tianjin Olympic Stadium.
“There was just the perfect speed on the ball,” Chapman said in a press release, referring to her goal. “I said, you know what, I’m just going to go for it and
keep it low to the ground. It was extremely important to have three points under our belt and to have a game under our belt.”
It was Chapman’s fifth career goal for the full national team. Last September in Hangzhou, China, she scored Canada’s first goal in the FIFA Women’s World Cup
China 2007.
“The team was very pumped up and ready to play, but it was mixed with emotions,” said coach Even Pellerud. “The team settled down after the first goal and then
we dominated clearly. Overall, we would have preferred a higher-skilled game, but Argentina preferred to keep the tempo down.”
Appearing in the Olympics for the first time ever, Canada controlled the play for almost the entire game and was full value for the win.
The game was played in stifling heat, with temperatures of about 35 C at kickoff; strength-sapping humidity and under a cloud of grey, polluted, stagnant
air that’s been the trademark of the run-up to the Games.
The first goal was set up by a huge blast from Christine Sinclair that was just deflected wide of the post to give Canada a corner.
After Rhian Wilkinson’s corner was deflected back towards half, Chapman stepped into a right-footed shot from about 35 metres and hit nothing but the back of
the net for her fifth goal with the national team.
The clinching goal was brilliant, with Wilkinson taking a free kick from about 30 metres that Lang headed on spectacularly from about 15 metres out in the 71st
minute.
Canada had a huge size advantage over the Argentines and used it often. The backline of Chapman, Emily Zurrer, Martine Franko and Wilkinson simply
over-powered the Argentine attack and Canada won nearly every ball in the air up front.
The win is huge boost for Canada’s hopes of qualifying for the quarter-finals of the 12-country tournament. There are three four-team pools in the tournament
with the top two in each pool qualifying for the quarter-finals along with the two best third-place teams.
Canada faces China here on Saturday and completes its first-round on Tuesday in Beijing against Sweden.
The victory did not come without a cost, though; Melissa Tancredi, a key forward and Canada’s most physical presence on the front line, left after just 41
minutes with an apparent left ankle injury. She was knocked down in the penalty area in front of the Argentina goal in about the 19th minute, left the pitch for
a few minutes to have the ankle treated and returned. But the injury became too much to handle about 10 minutes later and she left the game for good.
Associated Press Report
IANJIN, China - Canada wore down Argentina to win its Olympic debut 2-1 Wednesday, getting a goal in each half and making the most of its significant size
advantage.
Candace Chapman put Canada ahead in the 27th minute. She ran onto a corner kick that was deflected more than 30 yards from goal and struck a right-footed volley
that skipped inside the left post. Kara Lang added the second in the 72nd, heading in Rhian Wilkinson’s free kick from 10 yards.
Argentina exploited some late pressure for a goal in the 85th. Mariela Coronel got past a fallen
Wilkinson and dropped a ball into the path of second-half substitute Ludmila Manicler, who volleyed the ball from 10 yards.
The game was ragged for the first 30 minutes. Canada finally took control after Chapman’s goal,
capitalizing on an average advantage of 14 pounds and 2�½ inches in the starting lineups.
The victory gives Canada momentum for its next two Group E matches, against host
China on Saturday and European Championship semifinalist Sweden on Tuesday.
The goal for Argentina, also making
its Olympic debut, was its first in four matches. It was outscored 6-0 in three games at the Peace Queen Cup in South Korea in June.
The South Americans produced the first scoring chance in the ninth minute when
Mercedes Pereyra struck a curling right-footed shot from the top corner of the area that Canada goalkeeper Erin McLeod had to palm away with her left hand at
the opposite post.
But the Canadians slowly gained control, producing their first corner six minutes
later and its first shot, a header by Melissa Tancredi over the bar, in the 6th.
The Argentines were easily knocked off the ball, sometimes resulting in turnovers
in their own half and Canadian chances.
When Argentina was able to counter, as when Pereyra was able to run clear down the
left side in the 38th minute, five Canadian defenders were able to recover and get behind the ball to prevent a shot.
With temperatures about 80 degrees, players frequently needed to come to the bench
for water.
The
Canadians nearly added a third goal in the 77th minute when Jodi-Ann Robinson was able touch the ball past Argentina goalkeeper Vanina Correa, but Maria
Quinones was able to clear the ball off the line.
