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Canada’s Julia Grosso, right, celebrates after Canada scored their opening goal during the Women’s World Cup Group B soccer match between Canada and Ireland in Perth, Australia, Wednesday, July 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Gary Day)
All the latest from the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand:
Canada overcomes early Ireland goal to nab 3 points
Katie McCabe’s Olimpico goal was not enough to keep Ireland’s World Cup dreams alive in a 2-1 loss to Canada on Wednesday.
Canada now sits on top of Group B after a strong second-half performance earned them their first win after a draw to Nigeria in the opening round. Ireland was knocked out of its first Women’s World with a game to play in the lashing rain of Perth. After taking the lead inside the five-minute mark, the Girls in Green were ultimately overpowered by an experienced Canadian side.
Canada coach Bev Priestman branded Ireland as a “horrible” team to play against due to their physicality and toughness. A day later, McCabe — the Ireland captain — had only one response. She sent a corner kick curling into the Canadian net in the fourth minute, the first-ever goal for Ireland at a Women’s World Cup. McCabe ran to the sideline, her arms outstretched as her teammates jumped on her.
The dream start didn’t last long, however. Canada responded in a confident fashion, getting an equalizer before halftime. A Julia Grosso cross ricocheted off defender Megan Connolly and found the Irish net for an own goal.
The Olympic champions started on the front foot after the break, Adriana Leon weaved her way through the Irish box and toe-poked the ball past Courtney Brosnan. Canada was able to engineer a comeback as the Ireland defense allowed multiple goal chances in the second half. They also held 63% of the possession, holding up the ball in Irish territory for long periods of…
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