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TEAM CANADA:

CANADA TIES CHINA 0-0 IN ST. .JOHNS NEWFOUNDLAND

20th August 2006

Canada's National Senior Women's soccer team, ranked 11th in the world, tied China in a 0 - 0 draw in a friendly match on Saturday 19th August 2006. The match which pitted the Asian champions and perennial powerhouse Chinese against Canada, was a tune-up for the CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup, Canada's qualifying tournament for the 2007 Women's World Cup in China.

The match was played in the St. Johns, Newfoundland’s King George V stadium, and was part of the celebrations marking the opening of the rebuilt stadium with a new artificial turf surface. Over 5, 320 mainly pro-Canada spectators attended to watch an evenly matched encounter, with the Chinese dominant in the first half, and Canada taking the honours in the second. The Chinese spectators may have been in the minority, but they made up for their small numbers with noise and a sea of red flags. The weather was perfect for soccer, with the temperature around 24 degrees, sunny and warm. However, there was a brisk wind.

Canadian coach Even Pellerud was pleased his team had tied the game and forced World number 8-ranked China to a standstill." All in all, it was an even encounter and I am pleased with an excellent team performance under very difficult circumstances," said Pellerud. "It was a tactical clash between two very different playing philosophies. China is an extremely skilful passing team and they took advantage of this during large parts of the first half. However, in the second half our midfield acted with more aggression and determination, led by an outstanding effort from Amy Walsh, and we got a grip on the game and created a number of chances.”

The first chance came early for the Canadians, in the opening minute of the match, when Rhian Wilkinson forced Chinese goalkeeper Han Wenxia into making a save off her crossbar. But, the Chinese countered immediately, pinning Canada in their own penalty area with two consecutive corner kicks. On the second of these, goalkeeper Erin McLeod’ had to make her first stop of the game from a weak header.

After this initial flurry of play and offence, both teams settled in for the remainder of the first half with China, wind at their backs, having the lion’s share of the possession, but rarely threatening Canada’s well-organized defense. Both teams appeared to be feeling each other out.

The Canadians were at their best on the counter attack, taking advantage of Wilkinson’s speed on the right wing and Christine Sinclair’s power on the left, to get crosses into the Chinese penalty area. However, they could not find the back of the net.   

The second half was a different story. The match began to open up, and the Canadians now had the advantage of the wind. China's best chance came in the 56th minute, when a deep cross from the Chinese wing created some trouble for Canada's defence leading Sasha Andrews to concede a corner. In what may have been the best chance of the match, the ensuing set piece ended with a scramble in front of the Canadian goal and a deflected shot off the crossbar before Diane Matheson cleared the ball from the line.

The scare seemed to inspire the Canadians and they began to take the play to the Chinese. Extended pressure over the last 30 minutes of match created numerous chances for Canada However, in the end, they were unable to score. At their attacking best, the Canadian wingers created havoc for the Chinese defense and crosses rained into their penalty area as the pressure mounted in the match’s final minutes. A high work rate in the Canadian midfield kept a very skilled Chinese team in check for most of the match and in the end; a 0-0 draw seemed a fair result for both sides. Erin McLeod posted the shutout for Canada.

The Canadian team stayed after the match to sign autographs and meet their fans.

Canada will have their chance for revenge in a rematch to be held versus China on Tuesday 22nd. August, 2006 in St. John's. Tickets for the second of the two-match series kicking off at 17:30 on Tuesday, August 22nd at King George V Park are still available at $20.00 for Adults and $15.00 for Youth and can be obtained by calling the Newfoundland & Labrador Soccer Association (NLSA) at 709-576-0601. All tickets are be General Admission.

Immediately following the matches in St. John’s, the Canadian women will depart for Europe where they will play two friendlies scheduled against France on August 26 in Rouen and on August 29 in Dieppe.

Match Info

Attendance: 5,320

Goals: Canada - 0; China - 0
Cautions: Canada – Gayle (78); China - Yali (60); Huana (73);
Expulsions – none

CANADA: 22-McLeod, Erin; 3-Booth, Melanie; 4-Andrews, Sasha; 5-Neil, Andrea (18-Gayle, Robyn); 8-Matheson, Diana; 9-Franko, Martina; 11-Hermus, Randee; 12-Sinclair, Christine (c); 13-Walsh, Amy; 16-Wilkinson, Rhian; 17-Timko, Brittany
Head Coach: Even Pellerud
Subs not used: 1-Alcia, Leisha; 7-Ramsay, Erin; 14-Moscato, Carmelina; 20-Swiatek, Taryn

CHINA: 1-Wenxia, Han; 2-Huana, Liu; 3-Jie, Li; 5-Wei, Pu (c); 7-Yan, Bi (26-Feifei, Qu 87); 8-Ying, Zhang; 13-Dandan, Wang; 15-Liping, Ren (25-Xiaoyan, Zhao 92); 16-Yali, Liu; 19-Yue, Guo (14-Kun, Wang 89); 23-Na, Zhang
Head Coach: Ma Liangxing
Subs not used: 17-Lina, Pan; 21-Xiaoxia, Zhou; 22-Xiaozhen; 24-Yongxia, Sun

Based on CSA Report.