SheBelieves Cup: Canada defeats Brazil in nail-biting showdown | OneFootball

In the second game of the SheBelieves Cup, Canada faced CONCACAF finalists Brazil. The two sides last met at the competition in February 2023 with Canada pulling off a comfortable 2-0 victory.

The invitational tournament has been running for nine years, with the United States winning a record six times. The Canadians finished fourth in the 2023 tournament, having won just a single game in their second appearance.

Starting XIs

Canada

Sheridan; Buchanan, D. Rose, Huitema, Lawrence, J. Rose, Gilles, Beckie, Fleming, Leon, Lacasse

Brazil

Taina; Antonia, Tarciane, Thais, Ludmila, Jheniffer, Yaya, Yasmin, Portilho, Priscila, Ana Vitoria

How it went

Canada got the tie underway and enjoyed the better opening spell of play. Several good chances for Janine Beckie saw the forward almost break the deadlock inside ten minutes. But it was Brazil who got the goal-scoring action underway with 22 minutes on the clock. A penalty awarded to the away side was duly converted by Tarciane, who placed the ball into the bottom of Kailen Sheridan’s goal.

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Vanessa Gilles restored the tie in the 77th minute, converting Jessie Fleming’s free kick. The goal was enough to send the match to a penalty shootout.

Despite Cristiane and Tarciane converting their efforts, successful penalties from Adriana Leon, Jade Rose, Simi Awujo and Julia Grosso were enough to send Canada through to the Grand Final as Brazil dropped out of contention.

What’s next

Canada will face the United States in the Grand Final match as Bev Priestman’s side looks to lift the title for the first time. Brazil will face a difficult test against Japan as they look to equal last year’s third-place finish.

Both matches will happen on Tuesday, April 9, at Lower.com Field in Columbus, Ohio. The bronze medal match will form the first half of the doubleheader, and the Grand Final will take place three hours later.

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