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TEAM CANADA: South Korea Peace Queen Cup 28th October 2006 MATCH DAY VS ITALY ( from Rhian) Sorry not to get out my Game Day report before now, but the internet crashed and I could not log on at the hotel. We spent the morning of 28th October resting up and eating in preparation for the game. Everyone is excited about playing Italy and there is a strong sense of belief amongst us all. Diana arrived at the hotel at 6:30am this morning after landing just after 4am. Her efforts at making a quiet entry into the room were extremely unsuccessful. She blamed this on the valet bringing her bag up, but I don't believe her. We left for the game under police escort. We have two motorbike policemen who zoom around cutting off traffic for us, and this makes us feel very important. The Peace cup organizers wanted us to be at the field a lot earlier than we would have liked to be there, but as a result we were able to see a bit of the Korea Brazil game. Their game wasn't all that exciting as both aren't all that offensive minded, but I still enjoyed getting to see a sneak peak at the two teams we will be meeting later on. As you will all know by now, we won the game versus Italy 3-2, although the close score does not reflect how totally dominant we were. I am trying to be as objective as possible and there is no other way it can be said: We were just the better team. Sincy scored the first two goals. Both were great, one off a great individual effort, and the other a pass through the back line by Martina. We went into half up by two, but also knowing we couldn't let down at all as Italy is not a team that quits. Even though we never lapsed, at least it didn't feel like it, they got a goal off a defensive miscue by us. 2-1 is one of the most dangerous score lines in sport and the Italians started applying a lot of pressure. We were relieved when Jodi-Ann Robinson came on and scored from a brilliant play at the top of the box. The goal was really needed and allowed us to settle down a bit. The second Italian goal was a total jumble and I would be hard pressed to explain it to you. I just don't know what happened. The game was a good one and we are all pleased with how we came together. Italians aren't easy to play against, and with an inexperienced ref they were able to get away with a lot more than usual. They were a tough opponent and made us play some good soccer in order to get the win. Everyone is now very tired and I have a feeling tonight won't be a late one. In the morning we are leaving for Busan where we will be playing Korea on Monday. The flight is only an hour long so the plane won't be big enough for all our bags. They leave tonight on a truck. As a rather uneasy flier I am less than pleased to hear about the size of this 'plane. ( from a report by the Peace Cup Tournament)
The Canadian Women's National Team started their Peace Cup quest with a high scoring 3-2 victory over Italy today. The score line belies the fact that Canada played a powerful game and were on the offensive for most of the match. Canada started with a 4-4-2 formation in the Olympic stadium, in front of a
small crowd in the cavernous stadium, but the crowd continued to grow as the
game progressed. Both teams were nervous in the early going, with passes going
astray. However, in the 7th minute Rhian Wilkinson managed a good shot and
Canada moved to the offensive.
Italy did manage one or two good set-ups, and at 12 minutes, Panico's counter attack led to a shot and McLeod made a good save. However, when Italy tried to clear a long cross from their box, the ball bounced off one of their own players, and Christine Sinclair turned around to make a difficult shot. She scored. Italy was stung into immediate counter attack, but the Canadian defence
played well. With a continuous supply of good through balls from Timko, Canada
appiled pressure through all three dangerous attacking players Wilkinson, Franko
and Sinclair. Meanwhile, Italy had only Panico up front, and she was well
contained by the Canadian defence.
At 24 minutes, Franko's shot missed narrowly from an acute angle. However, it was Italy who took advantage of a glancing back header from Gayle which they pounced on to score 1-1. The Canadians continued to control the game and flow of play, and at 29 minutes, Hermus made an impressive shot from a through ball from Kristina Kiss. At 34 minutes, Diana Matheson replaced Melissa Tancredi, and soon afterwards,
Amy Walsh made an excellent pass to Sinclair on the run. She made no mistake,
and scored in the corner of the net to take the score to 2-1.
In the second half, the Canadians picked up where they had left off and increased their pressure. They were especially dominant in the penalty area, where the height and power of Sinclair were always a threat. Italy moved on to the attack seeking the equalizer, but at 35 minutes,
Robinson scored a 3rd goal for Canada on a through pass from Rhian Wilkinson. At
40 minutes, Neil came in for Sinclair.
At 43 minutes, Italy brought the game close again with a goal by Panico with a long distance shot which went over the goalkeeper. The game finished 3 - 2 to Canada. Unfortunately, Melissa Tancredi suffered an ankle injury in the first half and will most likely be out for the rest of the tournament. Overall, Canada's power was too much for the Italians. Sinclair's two early goals put them under great pressure. Italy struggled to contain Canada's speed on the ground and strength in the air, and the score ine is flattering to the Italians. After the game, head coach Even Pellerud said: "We got off to a very good
start...The result does not reflect this game, as we dominated the field of play
and the goal scoring chances to an extent that actually surprised me a little.
The Italian team could not figure out how to handle our collective pressure and
quick attacks, and we felt comfortable while winning this game, until the
momentum changed when we gave up a goal after an error, in the 70th minute. This
goal encouraged the Italian team and we had to focus on defensive discipline for
the remainder of the game. We now look forward to playing host Korea on Monday,
a team that played an even match against Brazil. This group is still wide open,
so we need to play another strong game on Monday.”
Canada now leaves Seoul and travels to Masan to play two games vs South Korea and Brazil. Goals were scored by:
Substitutions: Lineup: (Based on Peace Cup match report - more to follow) RhianWilkinsonSoccer.com is the Official Website of Rhian Wilkinson. |
