Reigning champions Canada scored a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over the Football Ferns at Stade Geoffrey-Guichard in St. Etienne on July 25 to kick off their quest for successive gold medals at the 2024 Olympic Women's Football Tournament. The match was shrouded in controversy, however, with Canada having twice been caught during the days leading up to the match using drones to capture footage of New Zealand's training sessions, an action which goes completely against the principles and spirit of the Olympic Games. Doubtless more will be heard about this episode, but two Canadian staff members have already been sent home from Paris 2024, while coach Bev Priestman voluntarily stood down from the contest on principle, perhaps making this fixture the first international in the history of women's football to be presided over by caretaker coaches in the respective technical areas. Andy Spence stepped up to the plate in the Canadian dugout, while Michael Mayne is overseeing the Football Ferns' activities after their appointed coach, Jitka Klimkova, stepped aside prior to the Olympics, even though an independent workplace employment investigation cleared her of any wrongdoing in an issue involving one of the squad members who is representing NZ at the Games. She still had concerns in relation to aspects of the situation, so opted to put the team first. The Football Ferns suffered a further setback on the eve of the tournament, with long-serving captain Ali Riley having to withdraw from the squad due to a persistent nerve injury with which she has been struggling for some months, thus curtailing her hopes of becoming a five-time Olympian, a rare feat for a New Zealand athlete. Katie Bowen took over the captaincy, and within three minutes of the game kicking off was already in the wars, a sizable egg forming on her forehead after the flailing arm of Nichelle Prince struck the defender during an aerial duel. Bowen was able to continue, thankfully, and with central defensive partner Rebekah Stott went on to produce an outstanding rearguard action throughout the contest, with Canada's attacks many and frequent throughout proceedings. Initially, they targeted Riley's on-field replacement in the left-back role, Mackenzie Barry. She certainly had her hands full dealing with the attacking thrusts of Ashley Lawrence early doors, but "Mack" was soon to reveal her own attacking instincts, and stunned the world in doing so. Indiah Paige-Riley's initiative earned the Football Ferns a corner in the thirteenth minute, and Katie Kitching's delivery picked out Barry in the heart of the penalty area. The defender controlled the ball, swivelled and slammed a rising ten yard drive into the net via the underside of the crossbar - 1-0 New Zealand, a scoreline very few among the 2674 fans present would have had anticipated, never mind those watching around the world. Was this going to be the ultimate revenge for what is already being dubbed "Dronegate"? Alas, no, but it was nonetheless a spirited rearguard action from the Football Ferns which was central to proceedings, as they endured any amount of pressure from a Canadian side eager to begin their Olympic campaign on a winning note. Just two minutes after the goal, Vanessa Gilles' diving header and Prince's shot were blocked by Catherine Bott - a disciplined display - and Bowen respectively following a Cloe Lacasse cross. Eight minutes later, Bott hooked the ball clear to prevent Gabrielle Carle from being picked out by Adriana Leon's cross, as the Canadians piled on the pressure. The Football Ferns were standing firm, however, the ever-confident Anna Leat's wayward distribution notwithstanding. The goalkeeper had already needlessly given the ball away under pressure when her 25th minute attempted clearance was charged down by Leon, but fortune favoured the Kiwis this time round. On both occasions she erred, Leat was looking into the sun - could she not have worn a cap in such circumstances? Avoidable mistakes, which a team already under pressure didn't need their last line of defence to be making. Another wayward pass, this time from Malia Steinmetz in the 35th minute, put the Football Ferns under pressure once more, with Leon again the beneficiary. Leat smothered her shot this time, and raced out well to prevent the same player from latching onto Carle's 43rd minute cross as the sterling efforts of Bowen, Stott, Bott and Barry continued to keep Canada at bay. The Football Ferns had by now changed their tactics from the 4-4-2 formation with which they began the contest, adding an extra body in midfield in the form of Kitching to shore things up alongside Steinmetz and Kate Taylor, with Grace Jale joining Riley on the flanks, leaving Milly Clegg to plough a lone furrow in attack - she hardly touched the ball, because for the most part, Canada was the team in possession. They threatened again in the shadows of the half-time whistle. Seconds after Steinmetz's splendidly timed tackle thwarted Jessie Fleming in the penalty area, Lawrence cleverly beat two players in same before seeing her cross blocked by the impregnable form of Stott. The rebound fell kindly to Prince, whose snatched six-yard volley sailed over the bar. Canada sliced open the Football Ferns soon after with a delightful one-touch passing move which featured Jade Rose, Leon, Lawrence, a pass to the

by-line for Fleming to latch onto and deliver a first-time cross for Leon. Her drive was blocked by Bowen, but just when it looked like the Football Ferns would take an unlikely advantage to the dressing rooms, Canada equalised on the stroke of half-time. Rose fed Lawrence, who worked a one-two with Fleming before delivering a ball into Prince. Her flick-on directed the ball in between Bowen and Bott, in between whom stormed the flying figure of Lacasse. Without a second's hesitation, she steered the ball into the top far corner of the net to give the Canadians a thoroughly deserved equaliser and deliver a blow from which the Football Ferns struggled to recover, as was evidenced in the second spell. For it was largely one-way traffic after half-time, and Leat's goal was very much the centre of attention. Just three minutes after play resumed, Prince diverted a cross narrowly past the near post after Leon and Lawrence had combined on the right, while five minutes later, Leat turned a shot round the same upright after Leon had got the better of Barry. From the resulting corner, Fleming's delivery picked out the head of Gilles, whose effort was smothered by Leat. The goalkeeper instantly sparked a counter-attack, with Steinmetz's super pass inviting Riley to go on the rampage. Her twenty-yarder was grabbed by the hitherto untested Kailen Sheridan, and served as a warning shot for the Canadians, who duly redoubled their efforts to double their goal tally in the game. On the hour, Fleming's free-kick picked out the head of Quinn, whose deft glancing header was superbly saved by the sprawling figure of Leat, plunging to her right to maintain parity. Four minutes later, freshly introduced substitute Jordyn Huitema - for this writer, one of the best central strikers in the women's game today - directed a header past the post under pressure from Taylor, on receipt of a cross from the outstanding Lawrence - central to much of Canada's good work. Canada continued to pound away, and the Football Ferns continued to resist their concerted efforts to break the deadlock. Leat was right behind a twenty-five yard shot on the run from Janine Beckie twenty minutes from time, while Lawrence rattled the side-netting soon after, substitute Evelyne Viens having chased the ball down and driven a cross across the face of goal from the by-line, the ball careering across the bows of the incoming Huitema en route to Lawrence. When Huitema and Viens combined in the 77th minute, Stott was there to thwart their bid to break the deadlock. But within two minutes, Canada was celebrating as they finally found a way through the Football Ferns' stubborn resistance. The move began with Sheridan, who linked with Rose to pick out Fleming, lurking deep within her own half of the pitch. Cue a raking fifty yard pass which caught Leat out of position and backpedalling furiously in response, while Bowen raced across to cover the run of Viens, as she raced through the inside right channel to latch onto the opportunity. Without breaking stride, the substitute angled a fifteen-yard drive beyond both the covering defender and the diving goalkeeper, the ball finding the net by the base of the far post to the undisguised delight of Canadians everywhere. The Football Ferns could have been forgiven for dropping their heads at this point, so stubborn had been their resistance. But they never gave up, and four minutes from time earned a rare chance to equalise via the indefatigable figure of Riley, who ran herself into the ground for the cause. On this occasion, she was given an unwelcome shove into terra firma by Kadeisha Buchanan's robust challenge, which rightly earned a booking from Swedish referee Tess Olofsson. Twenty yards out from goal, the opportunity was an inviting one for both Kitching and substitute Macey Fraser, who has previous where picking out the top corner in spectacular fashion from this range is concerned. Kitching went for glory, but her shot was always rising. But when she took a ninetieth minute corner, chaos reigned in Canada's penalty area, with Gabrielle Rennie's shot striking the arm of Beckie. Alas for the Football Ferns, their spot-kick cries went unheeded, but they kept on pressing. Jale was next to feature, her throw-in inviting another substitute, Michaela Foster, to get the better of Beckie before battering a twenty yarder narrowly over the bar. Cue a Canadian backlash, Viens' shot on the counter-attack being directed straight at Leat after she had outpaced the tireless Stott. To Canada's delight, the final whistle sounded soon afterwards, but not before the Football Ferns had been reduced to ten players, the sight of a clearly distraught Fraser hobbling off the pitch with what looked like an ankle or Achilles injury moments before the game's conclusion a worrying one for all of a silver fern persuasion, arguably more so than the outcome, although few would have predicted the Canadians would have to come from behind to earn this victory. Canada:     Sheridan; Buchanan (booked, 85), Rose, Gilles; Carle (Viens, 67), Quinn (Awujo, 67), Lawrence, Fleming; Prince (Beckie, 56), Leon (Zedorksy, 90), Lacasse (Huitema, 56) Football Ferns:     Leat; Bott, Bowen, Stott, Barry (Foster, 59); Riley, Steinmetz (Fraser, 59), Taylor (Rennie, 86), Kitching; Jale, Clegg (Hand, 66) Referee:     Tess Olofsson (Sweden)