Canada lost 2-0 to Brazil in its third and final match at the 2021 SheBelieves Cup in Florida Wednesday.
The loss left Canada in third place behind USA and Brazil in the four-team round-robin women’s invitational soccer tournament, with USA and Argentina still to play the final match later Wednesday.
Debinha opened the scoring for the Brazilians in the 15th minute Wednesday, capitalizing on a giveaway forced on young Canadian central defender Jade Rose. And Julia Bianchi made it two-nil six minutes from half-time.
Loading ...Despite some late chances Canada failed to make up any ground, failing to score in a match for the second time this week.
Big names missing from Canadian squad at SheBelieves Cup
The competition was new Canada manager Bev Priestman’s first opportunity to get a squad together since taking over last year. She had previously seen her team lose 1-0 to USA and beat Argentina 1-0 at the Orlando-based tournament.
“We had a great chance to assess the group and some players really stepped up across the three matches,” said Priestman, following the match. “It’s now about getting that chemistry right and putting the ball in the back of the net. ”
Canada were without some notable regular starters at the SheBelieves Cup. Star striker Christine Sinclair and midfielder Diana Matheson missed the tournament due to injury. And defenders Kadeisha Buchanan and Ashley Lawrence and forward Jordyn Huitema, who all play for top clubs in France, were not released by their clubs who chose to avoid pandemic-related quarantine restrictions.
As a result, Priestman was given an opportunity by necessity to test the depth of her squad ahead of this summer’s Tokyo Olympics. While Canada had some good moments at the SheBelieves Cup, the inconsistent performances, the lack of a cutting edge and the overall results reflected the key player absences.
“It will be important in April to have the whole squad available so that we can work on that chemistry leading into the Olympic Games,” said Priestman.
Canada next face England in a friendly April 13.
Check out photos from Wednesday’s match between Canada and Brazil below:
