Even when you have the most prolific scorer in international soccer history, nothing is a gimme at the World Cup.
That was certainly the case in Canada’s first game of the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia, when a saved penalty kick made all the difference.
Early in the second half against Nigeria, Christine Sinclair went down in the box but there was no initial whistle. After a VAR review, however, the referee pointed to the spot for a penalty kick.
Sinclair would take the ball, step up to the spot and hit shot low to goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie’s left – which was saved and then cleared away.
While some may be critical of manager Bev Priestman for starting the 40-year-old captain Sinclair, she was a bit short on options. Just before the game, it was revealed that Jessie Fleming is injured, but should be able to return in the tournament.
And with Janine Beckie missing the World Cup altogether with a torn ACL, Sinclair’s experience is more than needed.
When asked about Sinclair’s miss post-game, Priestman backed her team’s captain.
“It’s Christine Sinclair. I think everybody, you know, would expect Christine to score,” the Englishwoman said. “I’m sure the players and the fans would forgive Christine for missing that because she gave way more than that in the game.”
But the thing is that Sinclair wasn’t the player she had been in her prime.
In the ninth minute – the first real chance of the game – Sinclair found herself just outside the box with space to make a shot. But her curling attempt went high and wide, troubling no one.
But it was the penalty that was the moment that defined the opener for Canada – an overall lack of finish, precision and incision.
Canada largely had controlled the first half, controlling possession by a margin of 67-33, but actually trailed the African side in shot attempts 6-5 and couldn’t put on target, like Nigeria had.
Ashley Lawrence and Adriana Leon had run amok down the left, but when the time came to put the ball in the box, the threats were easily dealt with.
Nigeria did that quite often. The Super Falcons sat back and absorbed any pressure quite well, despite the apparent gulf in quality which showed at times. They didn’t press high, like many expected, and then tried to hit on long-ball counterattacks, which didn’t threaten Canadian keeper Kailen Sherdian all that much.
The second-half substitutions of Cloe Lacasse and Evelyne Viens each provided a jolt for the Canadian attack, but the true chances just never fully materialized.
“We must’ve gotten in the box a lot and had some chances that we just couldn’t get it over the line,” Priestman said. “Some positive play, just have to do more across the 90 minutes.”
Jordyn Huitema looked to be the most threatening player throughout the game, but her best chances turned out to be a few headers that lacked power or went wide.
“There’s always moments that we need to take advantage of. There’s obvious scoring chances that we need to put away,” she said. “I think we’re disappointed in the result.”
With several key players still working their way back to 100%, Canada is stuck in a tough spot. A high-pressure tournament like the Women’s World Cup is an incredibly tough place to play your way into top form.
Canada is going to have to rely on Sinclair, Leon and Huitema to step up in the final third and finish their chances because the cavalry doesn’t look like it’s coming. Giving Lacasse a start on the right side instead of Deanne Rose could give Canada boost, but will it be enough?
Up next for Canada is the Republic of Ireland on Wednesday morning in Perth, which shapes up to be another tough contest.
Ireland held its own against co-hosts Australia in their opener early Thursday and will provide a tough test for the Canucks, despite this being their first Women’s World Cup appearance.
“We’ve just got to keep moving forward. Stay calm. Work very quickly, move on to the next task,” Priestman said. “We have to review us and fine-tune some of the things for us but very quickly we have to move on.”
Move forward and move on is right because another lackluster attacking performance may not be enough to get a point next time out.