In an international friendly match played on Friday, Canada and Iceland failed to score, leaving each other with a score of 0-0. The Canadians, ranked sixth, will now turn their attention to South Korea, ranked 19th, for a meeting to be held Tuesday at Pinatar Arena.
Few offensive actions were noticed during this match, which lacked flavor. Even though the Canadians had 14 shots on goal compared to 10 for the Icelanders, the shots on target were rare and not very dangerous.
Interim coach Cindy Tye noted positives in the first half and was pleased to keep a clean sheet, stressing that Iceland lived up to their reputation as “very physical and in transition” .
“I think we handled it well,” she said.
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Canada had several chances to score against Iceland on Friday in a friendly match, but had to settle for a 0-0 draw.
During the first half, Canada had possession of the ball and dominated the field. Vanessa Gilles and Jayde Riviere delivered a few precise passes, but this superiority did not lead to real scoring opportunities.
Ranked 13th, Iceland focused on strong defense, looking to counterattack. A good chance presented itself in the 20th minute, but Sabrina D'Angelo, the Canadian goalkeeper, intercepted the ball before colliding with Karolina Lea Vilhjalmsdottir. Subsequently, D'Angelo had to receive treatment for a blow to his leg following the collision.
Canada finished the first half with 55% possession, shooting 5 times on goal to Iceland's 3 (1 shot on target for each team). However, Iceland started to get more aggressive as the match progressed.
Lysianne Proulx took her place in goal at the start of the second half, scoring her first cap. The Juventus goalkeeper made a superb extended save to deny Vilhjalmsdottir's shot in the 53rd minute.
Tye said D'Angelo left the field because of the injury.
Jessie Fleming and Olivia Smith brought new momentum to Canada when they came on in the 67th minute.
“We’re going to see more of them in the next game,” Tye noted.
Deanne Rose, who entered the match, sent a shot over the Icelandic crossbar in the 75th minute. Smith, aged 20 and playing for Liverpool in England, shot just wide in the 84th minute.
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The Canadians drew 1-1 with third-ranked Spain in the October international window, their first outing after their quarter-final exit at the Paris Olympics in early August. . For their part, the Icelanders suffered two 2-1 defeats against the United States, first in the ranking, in Austin, Texas, and in Nashville.
Iceland recorded a W4 D1 L1 record in qualifying for the 2025 UEFA Women's European Championship, finishing second behind fourth-placed Germany in a group that also included Austria ( 17th) and Poland (32nd). That run included a rare 3-0 victory over Germany, which marked the first time Germany had been beaten by three goals in a competitive match since the 2008 Olympic semi-finals against Brazil.
Canada's starting eleven had a total of 772 caps to their name.
Ashley Lawrence captain for the first time
Defender Ashley Lawrence, center Shelina Zadorsky, as well as attackers Janine Beckie, Nichelle Prince and Adriana Leon represented 572 Canadian caps between them. Lawrence, who celebrated his 140th cap, took the captain's armband for the first time, while Fleming started on the bench.
Marie-Yasmine Alidou, who scored her first goal for Canada coming off the bench in the match against Spain, started in midfield, bringing her total to four caps. Aged 29, she plays in Portugal for Benfica.
Iceland's starting XI included players from prestigious clubs in Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.
Captain Glodis Perla Viggosdottir, also skipper of Bayern Munich, is the first Icelandic player to be nominated for the Ballon d'Or.
Canada has played Iceland twice before, in the Algarve Cup, drawing 0-0 in February 2019 and Canada winning 1-0 in March 2016.
The Canadians have posted a record of 8 wins, 0 draws and 7 losses this year, three of these draws being transformed into defeats on penalties against Germany (in the quarter-finals of the Paris Olympics) and against the States -United (in the final of the SheBelieves Cup and in the semi-final of the CONCACAF W Gold Cup).
Another draw also resulted in a penalty shootout victory against Brazil (in the SheBelieves Cup semi-final).
Tye, who coaches the Canadian under-20 team, is in charge of the November friendlies, while Football Canada is looking for a permanent head coach.
The governing body has confirmed head coach Bev Priestman will not return following the recent independent report into the Olympics drone spying scandal. Priestman, assistant Jasmine Mander and analyst Joey Lombardi are currently serving one-year suspensions imposed by FIFA, with Lombardi having already resigned from his position with Football Canada.
In Spain, Canada finds itself deprived of several veterans.
Kadeisha Buchanan, Sydney Collins, Cloe Lacasse, Evelyne Viens, Jade Rose, and Quinn are injured, while Jordyn Huitema is out for personal reasons.
The match between Canada and Iceland, although scoreless, raises important questions about the evolution of women's football. In a context where teams are desperate to refine their games for future competitions, these friendly meetings, despite their lack of dynamism, should not be underestimated. They provide valuable space to experiment with tactics and integrate new players. As observers, it is essential to recognize that each match builds the future of the team, and this gradual approach could prove beneficial in the long term for the Canadians' performance on the international stage.
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