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TEAM CANADA: CANADA TIES CHINA 1-1 IN SECOND NEWFOUNDLAND MATCH22nd August 2006 Fresh from their 0-0 tie against China last Saturday, it was a determined Canadian squad which earned a 1-1 draw in an entertaining international women’s friendly soccer match on Tuesday night at King George V Park in St.Johns Newfoundland. Given their superiority in this game, most of the team felt that they could have won. But, as Rhian Wilkinson said, "We should, could and ought to have won; however, at this level, coulda, shoulda and oughta doesn't always give you the victory you deserve." The game, played before a crowd of 4,760, had much more zip than the scoreless tie played last weekend. The teams did not spend as long feeling each other out. The match’s first 45 minutes were a strong contrast to Sunday’s encounter, with both teams looking far more dangerous in attack. The first chance of the match fell to Canada in the 9th minute, with Christine Sinclair winning a foot race with Chinese goalkeeper, Han Wenxia, latching on to a long ball from Melanie Booth. Although the star striker was able to slip past the ‘keeper, Sinclair was unable to catch up to her touch and the ball rolled harmlessly out of play. The Chinese began the match with a much more direct style than in the first game. They used their midfield to dominate the match and kept relentless pressure on Canada’s defence. It was China who opened the scoring at 11 minutes. Striker Han Duan, who was dangerous throughout the game, took a superb through pass to go in alone and place the ball in the corner of the net, past Canadian keeper Erin McLeod. Duan was influential throughout the first half with her darting runs and on-the-ball ability causing problems for Canada’s defenders. Defender Randee Hermus said that Duan was a handful to cover.“She’s all over the place. We’ve studied her on video, so I knew what to expect. She’s tricky, and so it’s a matter of reading the game and reading the player's intention to foresee what she will do, and then getting there first,” added Hermus, who shut down Duan the rest of the way. The resilient Canadian squad managed their own breakthrough after a Melanie Booth free kick forced the Chinese defense to scramble the ball out of play for a corner kick. At 25 minutes, the ensuing Booth corner saw Canada roar back into the game when Hermus found herself unmarked inside the Chinese six-yard box. She drove the ball in hard and Chinese keeper Han Wenxia had no chance to save. “Amy (Walsh) sealed off the back post and touched the ball back to the top of the (six-yard) box and I couldn’t t really miss,’’ said Hermus. Although both teams were able to generate several other partial chances before the break, neither was able to take advantage and the teams had to settle for a 1-1 score at the half. Canada's goal was the sixth that Hermus has scored for Canada, but this was the first with her boot; all the others came on headers.“We did all we could to get the win," noted Hermus. “We were unlucky not to score the winner. We are a team who keep fighting whether we are down or up a goal. However, she said, "we’re still not at our best. We have proved that we can compete against the eighth-ranked team in the world and we deserved to win, so that’s promising. If we continue to develop our game, we should be at our peak in October for the World Cup Qualifying Tournament.” Canada really took the play to China early in the second half, and as in the first game, the eleventh ranked Canadians seemed to get stronger as the match progressed. The half began as the first had ended with the teams exchanging chances at a frantic pace. Canadian striker Christine Sinclair started a promising run down the wing and sent a cross-ball that was inches too far ahead of a sliding Rhian Wilkinson. The ball went wide at the 56-minute mark. Hermus remained dominant on set pieces throughout the half heading just over the bar on a corner in the 57th minute and once again from a free kick in the 70th minute. Canada appeared to have snatched victory in the dying moments of the match when Diana Matheson’s header fell beautifully to Rhian Wilkinson at the top of the box. Her brilliant side volley beat Wenxia, but caromed off the crossbar. The fans groaned, and the Chinese defense were able to clear their line. Most of the crowd thought Canada deserved a better fate than a tie, and head coach Even Pellerud said he was very pleased with his team’s performance, especially considering that more than 10 players were unavailable to the team, including some of Canada’s best young players. They are participating in the FIFA World Under-20 championships in Russia. "I think we created more chances today and overall. I was really pleased with the players’ effort considering we were short,” he said. “Another tie and another impressive performance from our team. We looked comfortable and strong from the kickoff, but suffered a disappointing goal against off a long through ball. China created very little, but plays with great patience, waiting for us to make a shape error. These errors were rare today, with Randee Hermus leading the defense with authority and determination.” Midfielder, Erin Ramsay earned her first cap for Canada with her appearance against the 8th ranked Chinese in the 90th minute. Hermus described the camp in St. John’s as “awesome” and she was very impressed with the support of the local fans. Over 10,000 fans attended over the two days of games. "The people were great. The facilities were great. We were treated very well,” she said, adding the team had “the greatest bus driver ever!” Pellerud agreed the camp was well organized and worth the trip. “Newfoundland and Labrador was a great host. The team got a warm welcome and it was a pleasure to be here, for sure,” he said. There was no rest for the Canadian team. Late Tuesday night, they packed up their bags and headed to Europe, where they will play exhibition games against France later this month. Pellerud also announced that reinforcements are on the way. Kristina Kiss of Amazon Grimstad in Norway, and Amy Vermeulen of Bälinge IF in Sweden will join the team for the two friendlies scheduled against France on August 26th in Rouen and on August 29th in Dieppe.“Fortunately, our small roster suffered no injuries as the team is heading straight to France for another two tough games,” Pellerud added. The women’s Gold Cup, which will decide the CONCACAF champion and also qualify the top two finishers for the 2007 FIFA World Cup, takes place in November in the United States. Match Info: Tuesday, August 22, 2006 - International Friendly King George V Park – St. John’s, Newfoundland
Attendance: 4,760 CANADA - 1 (1)CHINA – 1 (1) All rights reserved. All content copyrighted by their respective sources. |