Thanks to a very stupid drone-powered cheating scandal, the Canadians have become the easiest team to root against in the women's Olympic soccer tournament, even as the team lost its manager, an assistant coach, and an analyst/drone operator after New Zealand discovered a drone surveilling its pre-tournament practices. As a result of the uncovered cheating, Canada was docked six points from its Olympics point total, almost certainly, though not definitively, ending its dreams of successfully defending the gold medal it won at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
I say "not definitively" because Canada's players have clawed themselves out of their six-point hole and somehow put themselves one win away from the knockout round. By every report from the Canadian camp, the players had nothing to do with and no knowledge of the coaching staff's spying operation, and so all escaped punishment. With a shorthanded coaching staff and the pox of scandal, the already grueling Olympics became for Canada so much more daunting. The side opened its campaign by beating New Zealand 2-1 in a comeback win at its first match, a tough but ultimately correct result, based on the talent disparity alone; this is what makes the cheating scandal morbidly funny, as New Zealand is not very good and Canada likely did not need to do any cheating to beat the Football Ferns.
On Sunday, the Canadian dream of triumphing in spite of its punishment should have come to an end. France is one of the better teams in the tournament and is also the host nation, which should have given them a substantial buff. And, in some ways, France lived up to its favored status, dominating the proceedings, constantly pushing Canada back into its own box to defend like mad. France was a little wasteful with its possession, though, and could've really put Canada to the sword in the first half with more efficiency inside the penalty box. Nevertheless, the French did get their reward right before halftime, when Marie-Antoinette Katoto fizzed one past Canadian goalie Kailen Sheridan.
Whether due to a trauma bond over the scandal, or just by virtue of playing steely soccer, Canada didn't fold after the French opener. It would be hard to argue that Canada turned up the heat after the goal, since France continued to have the run of play, but the Canucks simply did not go away, taking their opportunities on the counter-attack whenever they showed up. In the 58th minute, one of those counter-attacks saw Ashley Lawrence open in space on the right, and she hit a low cross a bit too close to Pauline Peyraud-Magnin in goal. The French keeper wasn't able to corral the cross, though—and took a hit to the head from a teammate for her troubles, from which she had to be subbed off immediately after the play—and it bounced to Jessie Fleming, who made no mistake on the open net:
One goal was not going to be enough for Canada, though. The Canadians' only path to the knockout rounds was the hard way, winning all three of its group-stage games in hopes that three points after the deduction would be enough. And so, in the deepest part of stoppage time, Canada pushed and pushed. Twelve minutes in that added time, the dam broke. Jordyn Huitema blasted a shot from the top of the box that substitute keeper Constance Picaud could only parry away. The rebound fell to Vanessa Gilles who went near post, dinging the ball off the woodwork and in.
Thanks to that winner, Canada's job is now simple, if not exactly easy: Beat Colombia and finish at least second in the group, advancing to the knockouts regardless of what happens in the other matches. (There's even a scenario where New Zealand beats France and Canada wins the group!) Nothing but victory in the final game will suffice. Colombia is a good, almost even a great team, and gave France an equally difficult match, even if the South Americans ended up on the losing side, 3-2. It then beat New Zealand comprehensively, 2-0, so this will be a tough match for Canada to continue its redemption tour.
It also looks on paper like it could be one of the best matches of the tournament so far, with two teams carrying flaws but also plenty of talent, and the specter of the cheating scandal and the six-point deduction hovering over it all. It would be quite the stunner if Canada were able to overcome its tough group and a punishment that felt like a death knell to make it to the knockouts, where anything can happen. And because it's not hard to feel for the Canadian players, who are suffering for the bad actions of their coaches, it's easy to root for them to pull off this particular mini-miracle. Regardless of how the final group match goes, though, this Canadian side showed some iron will against France, and winning might end up being the best revenge. Cheaters never prosper, or so they say, but Canada is out to prove that exposed cheaters can do just that.
