The Reds found their colors at the right time. The Canadians won 2-0 against Jamaica on Friday evening in Kingston, after the first of two matches against the Reggae Girlz. This crucial round-trip series will qualify the winner for the Paris Olympic Games in 2024.
The last World Cup was disappointing for the Canadian team. Elimination in the group stage last July was a result well below expectations for a nation that won gold at the Tokyo Games two years earlier.
Nearly two months later, Bev Priestman’s squad needed to rebuild their confidence. And she can say: mission accomplished.
In the 18th minute, Nichelle Prince confirmed the Canadians’ good performance in this match. She headed home an excellent cross from Ashley Lawrence from the right.
“We are really happy,” Prince commented on OneSoccer after the match, all smiles. We were disappointed with our elimination at the World Cup, and we were hungry for victory today. »
We were talking to you about the right side: it was on this flank that Canada shone the most on Friday. The brilliance of Lawrence and Adriana Leon was a real spark in this meeting. The latter carried out a series of races and strikes, each more dangerous than the other.
In the 93rd minute, Leon finally got his reward. His goal, a nice lob above the goalkeeper on a ball brilliantly redirected into the area, also allowed him to gain an important advantage in this series of two matches, under the rule of foreign goals.
“That’s what a player like Adriana gives you,” coach Bev Priestman said. She is unpredictable, she can dribble. »
Leon has experienced ups and downs in his professional career in recent years. But his recent transfer to Aston Villa, in the English first division, made him smile again. And this happiness is transmitted to the selection, according to Priestman.
“She has minutes under her tie,” illustrates the technician. In big moments, “Dre” is hungry. It’s fitting that she scores in her 100th game for Canada. She always wants to give everything. »
More than anyone, Priestman felt the “pressure” after the World Cup disappointment. Not necessarily because his position was at stake – although… –, but above all because the team needed to find its bearings, and quickly.
“Behind the scenes, the players and I had our own pressure. Nobody is happy with what happened this summer. We had our own expectations. Tonight we wanted to come out swinging. And that’s exactly what we did. »
Unlike the Canadians, the Jamaicans had performed very well at the World Cup, in Australia and in New Zealand. They lost in the round of 16 against Colombia (1-0) after holding Brazil (0-0) and France in check (0-0), in particular. With this resurgence, the Reggae Girlz no longer display the same face today as in the past; the Reds had a record of 9 wins in 9 games, and a goal differential of 59, before Friday’s match.
The Canadians had to take this match seriously, therefore. Because the stakes are high: non-qualification for the Olympic Games exposes the Canadian team to the risk of losing significant funding from Own the Podium, when we know how much Canada Soccer is in financial difficulty.
“To be honest, I celebrated that shutout! launched Bev Priestman, relieved to see the defense tighten up after the 4-0 suffered at the hands of the Australians in the last match, in the World Cup. It has to be. This is the basis of the foundation of this team. »
So the first half of the work is done. Canada now faces Jamaica again next Tuesday in a sold-out match at BMO Field in Toronto.
Despite its lead, the maple leaf will have to be cautious, believes Priestman.
“The Jamaicans are going to give it their all in Toronto, because the Olympics are at stake. And there are not many people who can hope to go to the Olympic Games.
