Fans heartbroken after women’s Olympic soccer loss

MONTREAL – Soccer fans successful Montreal were near heartbroken aft nan Canadian women’s shot squad mislaid to Germany successful nan quarterfinal of nan Paris Olympics connected Saturday. But fans said they still person plentifulness of reasons to cheer.

“It’s my sport. It’s my country,” said Stéphane Halpin, sporting a headdress emblazoned pinch nan maple leaf, and wearing a Canadian shot jersey and a red-and-white scarf astatine Bar St-Laurent Frappé. He had thought nan squad — “one of nan champion we’ve had successful a agelong time” — would spell acold successful nan competition.

But he couldn’t hide his disappointment astatine nan result. “It’s an upset,” he said. “I thought they would win.”

The crippled ended 0-0 successful regular clip and remained deadlocked successful other time, truthful it each came down to spot kicks, during which Canada went down 4-2.

Tami Piovesan, primitively from Mildmay, Ont., now calls Montreal home. She said she has been pursuing women’s shot since she was 10 years old. She said that during nan 2021 Tokyo Games, watching Kadeisha Buchanan, a titan successful squad Canada’s backline, thief nan women’s squad conquer golden was an inspiration.

“As a (defender), it was astonishing to spot specified a beardown powerful female successful that position,” she said. “It was crippled changing for me.”

But this year’s Games for nan women’s squad has not been without controversy. The squad was docked six points during nan group shape aft a staffer was caught utilizing a drone to spy connected New Zealand squad practices.

“Despite each nan setbacks, they really rallied,” Piovesan said. “I’m still really proud of them.”

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For Piovesan, nan team’s tally was besides awesome because they pushed done without Christine Sinclair, 1 of nan astir celebrated players successful nan game, who retired successful 2023.

Alexander Beaumont agrees. “The squad this twelvemonth sewage done a batch of controversy, sewage done a batch of adversity … They played really, really well.”

Beaumont has been watching nan women’s crippled for nan past 20 years. He had been relishing a semifinal brushwood pinch Canada’s American rivals, but location is ever nan adjacent game.

Germany will play nan United States successful Lyon connected Tuesday aft they hit Japan 1-0.

This study by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 3, 2024.