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CanWNT qualifies for eighth-straight FIFA Women’s World Cup

CanWNT qualifies for FIFA Women's World Cup: Julia Grosso has control of the ball on July 8, 2022

San Nicolás de los Garza, MEX – The CanWNT qualifies for their eighth-straight FIFA Women’s World Cup appearance. The Olympic champions have qualified thanks to a fantastic goal scored by Julia Grosso in the Concacaf W Championship.

CanWNT qualifies for World Cup with a 1-0 win

Three keys to the game

First half

The OneSoccer commentators were saying that the CanWNT were frustrating Panama with their speed and pace at the start of the game. Panama had a lot of control of the ball afterwards but has trouble getting past the Canadian defence. Nichelle Prince took advantage of a miscommunication, which forced Panama goalkeeper, Yenith Bailey, to make the save.

Karla Riley was fouled by Shelina Zadorsky. Katherine Castillo got to the ball, after Christine Sinclair tried to capitalize, but could not keep the ball. Ashley Lawrence delivered a terrific cross to Adriana Leon, whose header went above the net. Panama’s Laura Batista shot the ball in the 22-minute, but it missed the net. Janine Beckie made a good cross, but it was too close to Bailey, who easily got to the cross. There was no offside called in the 27-minute when Nichelle Prince was taken down.

Adriana Leon looked like she was fouled in the 39-minute. Sabrina D’Angelo was tested a bit earlier on by the Panama team. Prince almost scored in the 42-minute, from an excellent cross from Janine Beckie. Beckie delivered another cross, but Julia Grosso did not take advantage. Grosso then got the turnover and crossed the ball to Adriana Leon, who was unable to put the ball into the back of the net.

Canada won a corner in the 40+3-minute of play. Adriana Leon’s shot missed the net in the 49-minute.

Second half

Adriana Leon’s shot in the 46-minute was stopped by the Panama goalkeeper Bailey. Julia Grosso’s shot was stopped by Bailey in the 47-minute. Ashley Lawrence fouled in the 50-minute. Janine Beckie cross was cleared by Deysire Salazar. Jordyn Huitema passed the ball to Jessie Fleming, but Fleming could not get to the ball in the 60-minute.

Janine Beckie delivered a great cross to Kadeisha Buchanan but was unable to handle the ball. Rosario Vargas’s shot went above D’Angelo in the 80-minute. Jordyn Huitema almost got to Jayde Riviere’s pass, but was unable to get contact and put the into the back of the net.

What this result means for both teams

Panama played well at points of the game. They were fortunate to not give up a goal in the first half, as they were some bad giveaways in the first half. However, their goalkeeper, Bailey, really stepped up. This included making a fantastic save from an Adriana Leon shot in the 46-minute. In terms of scoring chances, though, for Panama, most of them came from a distance.

For Panama, this result means they remain third in Group B. This is because they have a better goal differential than Trinidad and Tobago. However, qualifying for the Olympics in 2024 is unfortunately out of reach.

They will now need to draw or win against Trinidad and Tobago in order to book a World Cup inter-confederation play-offs spot. Also, Panama may be without the services of Wendy Natis, who got injured and was replaced in the 56-minute.

Julia Grosso, who is in great form in the Concacaf W Championship, said this about the game according to Canada Soccer:

“It was a tougher match today but we pulled through and got the win. We’re going to the World Cup – so we’re all really happy.”

This is while Canada qualifies for their eighth-straight FIFA Women’s World Cup with a win at Estadio Universitario. They now need a draw or a win to finish first in Group B against Costa Rica. Both teams are tied with six points with the same goal differential. However, the tiebreaker is that Costa Rica has more yellow cards than the CanWNT.

Either way, it is not going to be an easy game for the Canadians. The Costa Ricans gave a valiant effort for Summer Olympic qualifying. However, in that game, Huitema’s goal was the game-winner that sent Canada to their fourth-straight Summer Olympics appearance.

Games coming up for both teams

The CanWNT will face Costa Rica on Monday at 7:00 p.m. ET. Also, Panama will face Trinidad and Tobago also on Monday at 7:00 p.m. ET. Both games will be shown live on OneSoccer. Additionally, the CanWNT game against Costa Rica will be televised nationally live on CBC.

The Panama game against Trinidad and Tobago will take place at Estadio Universitario in San Nicolás de los Garza. This is while the CanWNT game vs. Costa Rica will take place at Estadio BBVA in Guadalupe.

Three takeaways: CanWNT qualifies for the World Cup

The CanWNT qualifies for their eighth FIFA Women’s World Cup. This is the eighth-straight time Canada has made the FIFA Women’s World Cup. This also marks the first time that both the CanMNT and CanWNT both qualified for the World Cup. The CanMNT qualified for the FIFA World Cup with a 4-0 win over Jamaica on March 27.

Julia Grosso is having a fantastic tournament. Grosso has now scored three goals, including two goals in the previous Concacaf W Championship game, where Canada won 6-0 over Trinidad and Tobago.

All of Canada’s goals came from the second half. The CanWNT continues to struggle to score goals in the first half, which will be a worry as they face Costa Rica on Monday.

Photo Credit: Canada Soccer on July 8, 2022, as seen in the Tweet above.

 

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