After a long drawn out match between Canada and China, Canada finally clinched the win in front of 50,000 fans who turned out to watch the game! 1-0 was the final score as Christine Sinclair scored through a last minute penalty kick.
With the game drawing to a close it seemed as though the first game of the World cup was going to be a draw that was until Canada’s Adriana Leon was fouled by Rong Zhao in the box. Everything then hung on Christine Sinclair to take the penalty. Christine didn’t succumb to the pressure! Christine said after the game that as soon as the referee made the call for a penalty to be given She absolutely knew that she was the one to take it!
“I’ve been practising my whole life for that moment,” she said in an interview.
China played a frustrating very defensive game. The Chinese strategy was simple.. let Canada have sole possession and let Canada do all the hard work and come to them.
Canada played contrastingly different at the start playing quite aggressively and on the attack however China’s tactics proved effective and Canada soon ran out of steam. Canada’s first big chance to score was just three minutes into the game with a free kick taken by Sophie Schmidt however Wang the Chinese goalkeeper managed to stop the ball going into the next despite Sophie having to kick at the ball.
Overall it was a good game and great opener to the world cup! We just hope that China don’t end up playing another team with the same kind of tactics.