SAINT-ETIENNE, France — As Canada's women's soccer team kept its Olympic hopes alive Sunday, the players said they wanted the world to know one thing: The defending gold medalists are not cheaters.
Vanessa Gilles scored 12 minutes into 13 minutes of added time to complete an unlikely comeback with a 2-1 win over hosts France.
That came a day after the team found out it was being docked six points in the group stage by FIFA as a result of a drone surveillance scandal that unfolded as the Olympics began, severely limiting the Canadians' chances of advancing.
When news of the punishment broke Saturday night, Gilles said she nearly broke her hand punching a wall because she was so angry.
“It's been 72 hours where we have no control over anything,” Gilles said. “We are not part of any of this and we are being sanctioned as if we were caught doping. We did nothing. We are very tired of defending ourselves from something we cannot control.”
“We don't have any advantage. We go out there, we play our hearts out, we work for this all year, day in and day out. So what makes us the most angry and frustrated is what we can't control.”
Gilles was still wiping away tears when she met the media after the match. Her teammates described a grueling match and Gilles said: “I've never felt so many emotions before a match, not even in the gold medal final.”
Now, with wins against New Zealand and France to bring their group-stage total to zero points, the Canadians, whose federation plans to appeal the six-point deduction, can advance with a win over Colombia on Wednesday.
“It feels like we're up against the world right now,” said veteran Jessie Fleming, who scored in the 58th minute to tie the game at 1-1. French goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin was injured in the play that led to the goal and was replaced shortly after by substitute Constance Picaud.
Trouble for Team Canada began during training ahead of the first game, when Team New Zealand reported a drone flying over their closed-door practice session. Authorities found footage of the practice and arrested Joseph Lombardi, an analyst for the Canadian team. Lombardi and Jasmine Mander, the Canadian assistant coach to whom he reported, were immediately sent home.
FIFA then suspended women's soccer coach Bev Priestman for a year, along with Lombardi and Mander.
Priestman, who has since withdrawn from the tournament, issued a statement through her lawyer on Sunday saying she was “absolutely heartbroken for the players.” She apologized to the team and the country and told the players to “go out today and show the world what you're made of.”
“I wish I could say more,” Priestman wrote. “But I will refrain for now, given the appeal process and ongoing investigation.”
Asked if she accepted the apology, goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan said she wasn't sure.
“Right now, it's very difficult. It's a very difficult thing to do,” Sheridan said. “Ultimately, she's a human being and people make mistakes. I think down the road we'll be in a place where we can accept that. But right now, we're staying in our bubble. We're not letting anything in. I think it's really important. It's proving to work so far. We're going to take advantage of it as much as we can and we're going to prove some people wrong.”
France dominated possession Sunday night, but the Canadians said they were proud of never giving up. Players said they had to channel their emotions Saturday night, which ran the gamut. Many players described crying and having trouble sleeping or eating before Sunday's game.
“There's so much negativity directed at us and so many things that are just bad and disastrous,” Sheridan said. “We feel like we have nothing to do with all these things that are happening. We're under attack right now. We're the target of the darts. Unfortunately, we had to accept that. For us to accept that. For us to be able to come together and really shut ourselves off from the world was a very difficult decision.
“You have to trust that everyone is doing it, and we did it.”
