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Canada comes up short in FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Opener
Prior to the start of the FIFA Under-20 Women's World Cup, Canadian coach Andrew Olivieri preached possession.
"I've been very clear about developing a new DNA within Canadian players," he said to Eh Game in mid-July. "What's been lacking over the years is the ability to keep the ball. We have to be patient and very purposeful with what we do with it."
On Tuesday, in their opening match against Ghana, the Canadians certainly were patient, and did win the possession battle - maintaining the ball 55 percent of the time - but did not generate shots on goal until the late stages of the match in a 1-0 loss at BMO Field in Toronto.
Forward Sherifatu Sumaila scored the lone goal of the game in the 22nd minute, netting a rebound by the outstretched hands of Canadian keeper Kailen Sheridan who stopped the initial shot by Edem Atovor from the top left corner of the 18-yard box.
The scoring play electrified their already boisterous contingent of fans who comprised a solid portion of the nearly 15,000 spectators in attendance.
The West African side which came to Canada well before the tournament to get acclimated to the conditions were poised, exhibiting an aggressive up-tempo style with a strong counter attack.
When all was said and done, they had 10 shots in total, six on target.
After the match, coach Bashir Hayford said the win was a statement of his team's ambitions for this tournament.
I had said before the tournament that we had the potential to win the World Cup. I don’t know if we’ll do it, but we do see some signs and we sent a signal that we’re not here for fun - we’re here for business. If I didn’t want to win the World Cup, we wouldn’t be here. (Courtesy: FIFA.COM, 08/05/14)
The home nation had some great chances, especially as the game wore into stoppage time but their attempts were either off target or thwarted by keeper Victoria Agyei.
Midfielder Emma Fletcher almost equalized near the end of the first-half when she cut to the inside of the penalty area and curled the ball past the Agyei but hit the post.
Canada registered just one shot on goal in the first half but added four more before the final whistle.
With the loss, Canada sits at the bottom of Group A and now has an uphill climb in achieving their goal of a semi-final berth. Post-match, Olivieri spoke about the importance of adjusting to the competition and the task of facing Finland in their next match on Friday.
We've already moved on. At the final whistle, we were already focused on our next game. Against Finland, it will be do or die, and we have to learn to adapt to the other team's style of play. It took us the half of the game tonight to learn that, and by then it was too late. (Courtesy: FIFA.COM, 08/05/14)
Canada has not made it to the knockout stage of this tournament since 2004 when it was known as the FIFA U-19 Women's World Cup.
Follow Neil Acharya on Twitter: @Neil_Acharya