Canada fend off Switzerland to book spot in quarterfinals
Josee Belanger grabbed a vital second half goal and Canada hung on to put the hosts into the quarterfinals at Switzerland's expense, 1-0, in front of a raucous crowd at Vancouver's BC Place on Sunday night.
It was a game full of passion but badly lacking in skill, as the adrenalin, turf and low level of both teams' play combined poorly on a scorching surface that reached 130 degrees Fahrenheit at kickoff.
The attendence for the game tallied 53,855, the most for a national team game in Canada in any sport. Canada will now face the winner of the upcoming Norway-England match in the next round.
Belanger's strike came at the start of the second half to finally spark a tepid match into life. Christine Sinclair changed the point of the attack out to Rhian Wilkinson, which was returned for Sinclair to square for Belanger. With Canada's first shot of the game, Belanger was able to pick out the bottom corner of the net and beat keeper Gaelle Thalman. The goal sent the crowd into ecstasy -- and in truth it was the first thing they had had to celebrate all night long.
Unfortunately for the home fans that packed this arena, both teams had been poor. Canada notably had only scored two goals coming into this game; one of those was quite dubious, and from the spot. The Swiss, on the other hand, had racked up the goals in the group stage, but had only won a single game. They piled on a poor Ecuador side but when confronted with quality in the form of Japan and Cameroon, simply wilted. So this was hardly a heavyweight clash.
The game lived down to those expectations. The sides failed to get a shot off on target in the first half, though a wind-assisted cross struck by Belanger nearly floated into the net in the 15th minute, ricocheting off the bar and then off keeper Thalman and out. Much of the game was played in the middle of the park; neither team was able to control the flow of play, or for that matter, keep the ball in bounds.
Certain players -- Ramona Bachmann, Melissa Tancredi -- showed flashes, but the lack of support for the skilled players was remarkable. More often than not, a defender would punt the ball upfield to a member of the opposition who would, in turn, punt the ball right back. This was not attacking or attractive football.
What it was, however, was emotional and tense. The organizers of this World Cup have made no secret of the fact that they are desperate for the hosts to make a deep run. Ticket sales for games not featuring the USA or the hosts have been soft and there was a sense that if Canada could not make good here, the Cup will evaporate like mist in the morning sun. That fear, more than anything else seemed to hang over this match like a damp blanket, causing the crowd to react to any imagined provocation.
One such instance came in the 22nd minute when Tancredi fired in a ball off Selina Kuster that had the players waving for hands and the crowing baying for blood. It was, of course, nothing of the sort, but chances were so sparse that this passed for entertainment.
The second half saw more of the same, notably with Erin McLeod going route one to try and find Sinclair -- but seeing instead Thalman snap it up. But when the goal finally came, some of the tension surrounding the match dissipated. It didn't improve in quality, but it did become a little more focused.
Canada, feeding off the emotions of the crowd, nearly got a second with twenty left to play when Thalman went to ground after a cross whipped in from Tancredi. Belanger tried to volley the ball home, but Lia Walti was able to kick what was a weak shot off the line with ease.
The Swiss caused some hearts to leap into mouths with just over ten minutes to play when McLeod, caught off her line, was also nearly caught out by Vanessa Bernauer. Bachmann made a fine run to the endline and whipped in a cross through a lot of traffic, but McLeod recovered and was able to push the ball around her near post.
Switzerland continued to press late as Canada -- perhaps in a miscalculation -- subbed in defenders and closed up shop. Removing Wilkinson and Tancredi robbed Canada of what attacking prowess they possess and made for a tense final ten minutes.
