Achi news desk-
Canada defeated Brazil 4-2 in a penalty shootout at the SheBelieves Cup after the game ended 1-1 after 90 minutes on Saturday.
It was the second straight shootout for the Canadians, who lost the CONCACAF W Gold Cup semifinal 3-1 to the U.S. on March 6 in a shootout after overtime ended in a 2-2 tie.
Adriana Leone, Jade Rose, Simi Ojo and Julia Grosso scored for Canada in Saturday’s doubleheader. Ashley Lawrence shot high for the Canadians.
Grosso scored the winning kick, as she did in the Tokyo Olympics final
Christian and Taresian scored for Brazil. Kaylan Sheridan stopped Marta while Antonia shot wide.
Brazil brought on goalkeeper Lorena in second-half stoppage time, replacing Tai Borges for the shootout.
Canada will play fourth-seeded USA in Tuesday’s final in Columbus. Brazil will face No. 7 Japan in the early third-place match.
The No. 10 Brazilians pressed hard and had the upper hand in a game that didn’t see the best of Canada’s No. 9 until late in the game, when center Vanessa Gilles scored to tie the contest.
Teresian scored for Brazil, who led 1-0 at half-time and probably should have had a bigger lead after going out on purpose at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Brazilian pressure translated into a series of Canadian turnovers, as the Brazilians were quick to counter-attack.
Brazil went ahead when American referee Tory Penso pointed to the penalty spot after Rose brought down a Brazilian. Taresian, a 20-year-old center player, stepped up and hit a ball to the center that beat Sheridan in the 22nd minute.
The Canadians offered more in the last quarter of the game and pulled ahead in the 77th minute with Gilles’ header on Jesse Fleming’s free kick. It was her fourth goal for Canada.
In the previous game at the same venue, the Americans recovered from a first-minute goal down to beat Japan 2-1 on Lindsey Horn’s 77th-minute penalty in front of 50,644, the largest crowd ever for a US women’s friendly on home soil.
Jaden Shaw, a 19-year-old midfielder/forward, tied the game at 1-1 with a long shot in the 21st, becoming the first American woman to score in her first five career starts.
Shaw now has seven goals in 11 appearances. Kristen Perez is the only American woman with more goals in 11 games (eight).
While Canada coach Bev Priestman had veterans Janine Beckie and Desiree Scott in the lineup from extended absences, her injury list grew ahead of the opener.
Goalkeeper Lisien Proulx was the latest to be dropped from the squad, following Kevin (who goes by one name) and Olivia Smith who were sidelined on the eve of the tournament due to a concussion and a knee strike, respectively.
Sydney Collins, Nichelle Prince and Jade Riviere were ruled out early through injury.
Despite the injuries, the Canadian starting XI entered the game with 920 combined tackles. About 615 of them came from Kadisha Buchanan, Lawrence, Leon, Fleming and Becky.
Both Becky and Scott have joined Canada in recent camps, not seeing action but continuing with “return to play” protocols.
Becky won heat No. 102 in her first start in Canada since Feb. 22, 2023, in a 3-0 loss to Japan in last year’s SheBelieves Cup.
The 29-year-old Becky, who has 36 goals in 101 appearances for Canada, had surgery to repair a torn ACL in her right knee after going down in a March 2023 Portland Torrance preseason game.
The 36-year-old Scott, who has 185 caps, did not enter Saturday’s game.
The Brazilians forced a series of turnovers and, thanks to Canadian fouls, opened several free kicks into Canada’s penalty area in the first half.
Brazil appealed an early penalty call claiming the ball hit Buchanan’s hand. This was not given although replays suggested the Brazilians may have had a case.
Playing at left back, Becky had two early chances, including a goal that flashed wide in the 13th minute after good work from Dean Rose. The earlier chance saw her shot hit after a few mis-touches.
A hard shot by Brazilian captain Antonia went wide in the 32nd minute.
Awojo comes in at half time for Becky. And 20-year-old Ojo, who grew up in Atlanta, hit the crossbar with a shot in the 56th minute.
Brazil came close in the 60th when Issim failed to beat Sheridan from close range.
Bianca St-Georges, Grosso and Evelyn Vines also entered for Canada as the second half wore on. Brazilian goalkeeper Tai Borges had a quiet afternoon. Marta came in for Brazil in the 80th minute.
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 in late July in Paris in a group with No. 3 France, No. 23 Colombia and No. 28 New Zealand.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on April 6, 2024
