KEIR RADNEDGE REPORTS: Canada and Brazil both reached the quarter-finals of the Olympic Games women’s football competition amid concluding group stage drama across France.
Prospects for the Tokyo champions appeared bleak at the start of the week when they were penalised six points for using a drone to spy on training sessions of opening rivals New Zealand. In addition coach Bev Priestman and aides Joseph Lombardi and Jasmine Mander were banned for a year.
Canada eventually kicked off their concluding Group A match against Colombia with zero points after losing an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport and facing an embarrassingly early exit.
Their campaign turned around when a goal just after the hour from Vanessa Gilles secured a 1-0 win. Victory lifted Canada into second place in the table, level on three points with Colombia and ahead of them on the mutual result.
Simultaneously hosts France topped Group A after two goals from Marie-Antoinette Oda Katoto delivered a 2-1 win over New Zealand. Canada went through as runners-up while Colombia progressed as one of the two best third-placed teams.
The other best third-placed team to reach the quarter-finals were Brazil from Group C despite losing 2-0 to Spain in Bordeaux and having the great Marta sent off.
Marta, who retires from international football later this year, was shown a direct red card after narrowly missing Olga Carmona’s head with a dangerous high-footed kick just before half-time. Brazil ultimately succumbed to second-half goals from Athenea del Castillo and Alexia Putellas. The Putellas strike came in the 17th minute of second-half stoppage time.
Spain won Group C with a 100pc record of nine points, followed by Japan who claimed a commanding 3-1 win over Nigeria in Nantes. Maika Hamano and Mina Tanaka gave Japan a two-goal lead but Jennifer Echegini pulled Nigeria back into the game three minutes before halftime. It was not enough. Hikaru Kitagawa restored Japan’s two-goal advantage from a free kick.
Australia, in Group B, were the out-of-luck third-placed team. They needed at least a draw against the United States to progress but lost 2-1 to the four-times gold medallists. The US, under new coach Emma Hayes, thus ended the group stage with a perfect nine points.
Trinity Rodman opened the scoring from range in the 43rd minute with substitute Korbin Albert extending the lead in the 77th. Australia’s consolation, on their way out of the tournament, was a stoppage-time goal from Alanna Kennedy.
Germany finished second in Group B. They recovered from a 4-1 defeat by the US to outclass Zambia 4-1 in Saint-Etienne with goals from Lea Schueller (two), Klara Buehl and Elisa Senss. Barbra Banda pulled one back for Zambia with her fourth goal of the tournament.
Saturday’s quarter-final line-up is France v Brazil (in Nantes), Spain v Colombia (in Décines-Charpieu, Lyon), US v Japan (in Paris) and Canada v Germany (in Marseille).
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