Canada's Ashley Lawrence, left, and Netherlands' Danielle Van De Donk vie for the ball during the Women's World Cup Group E soccer match between the Netherlands and Canada at Stade Auguste-Delaune in Reims, France, June 20, 2019.Francisco Seco/The Associated Press
Canada was beaten 2-1 by the Netherlands on Thursday, the toughest team it has faced so far at this World Cup, and it might well rue its caution in this match and in earlier matches against Cameroon and New Zealand.
This was no tragic loss, nor was it unlucky. The team progresses to the next round and will face Sweden on Monday in Paris.
Canada is ranked fifth in the world, but has been largely under the radar and underrated at the tournament. This match showed why. Canada likes to possess rather than attack and, when it does attack, it lacks the scoring power to deliver. Then, when attacking and scoring is an urgent matter, the effort – usually from substitutes – comes too late to have impact.
The team selection indicated a more open, attacking and goal-scoring approach. Canada wanted to win this one, and go top of Group E, thereby looking at a more manageable vista in a route to the final. The Netherlands had scored more goals in its first two games and what Canada needed was a win and the points that came with it. As it happened, it was a bit tardy in becoming concerned about goals.
The lineup, signalling a 4-3-3 formation was this: Stephanie Labbé; Ashley Lawrence, Kadeisha Buchanan, Shelina Zadorsky, Allysha Chapman; Jessie Fleming, Desiree Scott, Sophie Schmidt; Jordyn Huitema, Christine Sinclair, Janine Beckie. The inclusion of 18-year-old Huitema, the best young attacking player Canada has seen in years, suggested coach Kenneth Heiner-Moller wanted an emphatic win. Playing up front with Sinclair and Beckie, Huitema was there to deliver goals and assists.
The Dutch women are champions of Europe and here they showed their mettle. Like all Dutch soccer teams, they aim to appraise the space on the field and use it wisely. For this is a team that’s all about owning the midfield. During a good stretch of this game, for all its possession Canada was playing aimless soccer, unable to stop the Netherlands from bossing that midfield.
It was an entertaining encounter at times and at other times bizarre. The match went strangely awry in the first minute. It was one of the most farcical video-assisted review (VAR) controversies of the World Cup.
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After mere seconds, Beckie robbed the ball from Dutch defender Desiree van Lunteren and the referee decided the defender’s reaction, which seemed to bring Beckie to the ground, warranted a penalty. Sinclair stood with the ball at the penalty spot while the referee consulted the VAR panel. It took almost four minutes before she reversed her decision and a free kick was awarded to Canada. The incident disturbed the players and affected the balance of the game for a while.
Many midfield battles ensued, the Netherlands winning many of them, and Canada’s passing became lax. After 30 minutes, the Dutch were dominant, coming close to scoring several times. Canada’s often exquisite possession game was starting to unravel and the team was riding its luck. It rarely looked threatening and the lack of a striker with a powerful kick was glaring.
Nine minutes into the second half, the Netherlands scored first. Canada usually defends set pieces with precision, but this wasn’t one of those times. Anouk Dekker got in front of Buchanan to meet an excellent free kick, the ball hit her shoulder and spiralled into the corner of the net.
Canada fought back with a new resolve. In the 60th minute, Huitema did what she was selected to do, playing a short, sweet pass to the overlapping Lawrence, who delivered a glorious cross into the goalmouth. Sinclair did what she’s been doing for years and slid in to hammer the ball into the roof of the net from a tight angle. Her 182nd goal for Canada.
Minutes later Sinclair was taken off, along with Chapman, and replaced by Adriana Leon and Jayde Riviere. Before they had even settled, Dutch substitute Lineth Beerensteyn made it 2-1, taking advantage of a loose ball from a cross that Canadian keeper Labbé should have held.
The final minutes were Canada’s best, with Huitema and Leon looking especially dangerous in combination. But it was too late to get a complete grip on the game and the Netherlands.
The “too late” thing is what is coming to characterize Canada at the tournament, as impressive as the team can be. Too late in attacking. Too late in putting on players who can do more than possess and then deliver tame shots. In the knockout round there’s no room for tardiness. Or for the procrastination that the possession game mounts to.