Achi news desk-
Canada recovered from a poor first half on Saturday, defeating Brazil 4-2 in penalty kicks at the SheBelieves Cup in Atlanta to earn a date with the United States in Tuesday’s final in Columbus, Ohio.
The Brazilians pressed hard in the 10th position and had the upper hand for most of a game that did not see the best of the Canadian number 9 until late in the game with center back Vanessa Gilles scoring to tie the game 1-1. 77th. a minute.
Canadian coach Bev Priestman liked her team’s response if not the entire performance.
“It wasn’t a perfect game but I’m very happy with the mentality of the group to pull through and do whatever it takes to win,” he said.
WATCH | Grosso wins it for Canada:
Julio Grosso, who scored the golden penalty kick goal at the Tokyo Olympics, scored the game winner in Canada’s 4-2 penalty kick win over Brazil, in the SheBelieves Cup semifinals in Atlanta.
It was the second shootout for the Canadians, who lost the CONCACAF W Gold Cup semifinal 3-1 to the United States on March 6 in a shootout after extra time ended in a 2-2 tie.
There was no extra time this time. And unlike the W Gold Cup, Canada were on the right track except for Ashley Lawrence who shot high to open the shootout.
WATCH | Canada falls to the US in penalties at the W Gold Cup in March:
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Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher stops three penalties and scores one of her own as the United States wins 3-1 in a shootout after Canada rallied twice to tie it 2-2 in the semifinals CONCACAF Gold Cup W.
Adriana Leon, Jade Rose, Simi Awujo and Julia Grosso scored from the penalty spot with Grosso slotting home the winner, as she did in the Tokyo Olympics final.
Cristiane and Tarciane scored in the shootout for Brazil, who brought on goalkeeper Lorena in the second half, replacing Tai Borges for the shootout. Kailen Sheridan stopped Marta while Antonia shot wide.
“[Sheridan] can make saves I haven’t seen other goalkeepers do,” said Priestman, who cited the “courage” of 20-year-old Awujo and 21-year-old Rose to step up in the shootout.
‘What is difficult for us is good for us’
Brazil led 1-0 at half-time and probably should have been ahead after coming out on purpose at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Brazil’s pressure turned into a series of Canadian turnovers, with the Brazilians quick to launch a counter-attack.
Brazil took the lead when American center Tori Penso pointed to a spot kick after Rose had brought Brazil down. Tarciane, a 20-year-old centre-back, stepped up and hammered a shot up the middle that beat Sheridan in the 22nd minute.
The Canadians offered more in the last quarter of the game and pulled even in the 77th minute on Gilles’ header from Jessie Fleming’s free kick. It was her fourth goal for Canada.
Brazil will face No. 7 Japan in the third match on Tuesday.
WATCH | Priestman smashes Olympic opponents:
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Canadian national team head coach Bev Priestman breaks down the three teams her defending champion squad will face in the group stage of the Olympic women’s soccer tournament in Paris this summer. Those three teams are third-ranked France, No. 23 Colombia and No. 28 New Zealand.
Priestman said Canada had to change their tactics at halftime, bringing in an extra midfielder to try and slow down the South Americans.
“We had to adapt. It wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t perfect,” Priestman said.
“We needed this,” he added. “I said in the [post-game] huddle ‘What is difficult for us is good for us.”
Americans top Japan
In the earlier game at the same venue, the Americans improved to fourth place after conceding a goal in the first minute to beat Japan 2-1 on Lindsay Horan’s 77th-minute penalty in front of 50,644, the largest ever crowd for a women’s friendly United States. on home soil.
Jaedyn Shaw, a 19-year-old midfielder/forward, tied it 1-1 with a long-range strike in the 21st, becoming the first US woman to score in her first five career starts.
Shaw now has seven goals in 11 games. Christen Press is the only US woman with more goals through 11 games (eight).
While Priestman has veterans Janine Beckie and Desiree Scott back in the fold due to long absences, her injury list grew before kick-off.
Goalkeeper Lysianne Proulx was the latest to leave the squad, following Quinn (who goes by the same name) and Olivia Smith who were sidelined on the eve of the tournament with concussion and a knock on the knee, in the that order.
Sydney Collins, Nichelle Prince and Jayde Riviere were earlier ruled out through injury.
Canada carries experience into the SheBelieves Cup
Despite the injuries, the Canadian starting 11 entered the game with a combined 920 caps. About 615 of those came from Kadeisha Buchanan, Lawrence, Leon, Fleming and Beckie.
Beckie and Scott have joined Canada in recent camps, not seeing action but continuing their “return to play” protocols.
Beckie earned cap No. 102 in her first start for Canada since February 22, 2023, in a 3-0 loss to Japan in last year’s SheBelieves Cup.
Beckie, 29, who came in with 36 goals in 101 appearances for Canada, had surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee after going down in a Portland Thorns pre-season game in March 2023.
Scott, 36, who has 185 caps, did not see action on Saturday.
Canada entered Saturday’s game with an 11-11-9 all-time record against Brazil. The teams last met in a pair of friendlies in October with Brazil winning 1-0 in Montreal and Canada winning 2-0 in Halifax.
Canada opens the defense of its Olympic crown at the end of July in Paris in a group with No. 3 France, No. 23 Colombia and No. 28 New Zealand.
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