In the first round of fixtures in Group A of the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Canada almost mounted an improbable comeback against Germany, while France struggled to turn their superiority into goals against Nigeria. While France have 10 players from the club champions of Europe and a side with a lot of technical quality, Canada have Christine Sinclair and very physical team. This was predicted to be one of the best games of the group stages, but it was anything but. Les Bleues absolutely demolished a disorganized and soft-looking Canada side, winning by a final score of 4-0.
FIFA Women’s World Cup 2011, Canada Vs. France: Les Bleues Demolish Canucks
Canada actually looked excellent in the opening minutes of the match, but when Gaetane Thiney scored on a header in the 24th minute, it effectively ended the match. From that point on, Canada looked flat and completely lost their edge. They were billed as a side that had the physical strength and determination to challenge a France side that appeared to lack a killer instinct in their opening game against Nigeria, but the game was a demonstration in the absolute opposite. Not only were France the better technical side, they out-muscled the Canadians for much more than half of the 50-50 balls, as they dominated every facet of the game.
Thiney scored the game’s second goal in the 60th minute with an absolutely brilliant strike, then Camile Abily put the game beyond doubt in the 66th minute. She found herself completely unmarked on a corner kick and put a free header into the back of the net in a goal that was a microcosm of Canada’s poor performance. Subsitute Elodie Thomis added another cracking goal in the 83rd minute, sealing Canada’s misery. If Germany can manage to avoid a loss against Nigeria, Canada are disappointingly out of the Women’s World Cup.
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