At the Tokyo Olympics, Caroline Weir’s deflected strike in the dying stages of the game earned Great Britain Women the top spot in Group E after a 1-1 draw with Canada.
It looked as if Adriana Leon’s 55th-minute strike had condemned Team Great Britain to the runner-up position after they had already completed the group stage with two wins over Chile and Japan. However, five minutes from time, Weir’s deflected strike gave them the point they needed to achieve a place in the quarterfinals and win their group. While Canada had a late disappointment, they had also booked their place in the quarterfinals, and both sides are still waiting to find out who their next opponent will be.
Lucy Bronze had to be alert to clear Deanne Rose’s low cross into the penalty area after Canada needed a point to qualify for the last eight and a win for any chance of winning the group. Eventually, Team GB became more confident and began exerting control. Jayde Riviere made a crucial intervention to prevent Georgia Stanway from scoring after Nikita Parris slipped her an inch-perfect pass through. Just before halftime, Parris had a good opportunity to score from Demi Stokes’ cross but missed when she failed to make an accurate touch. Caroline Weir nearly got the rebound under control, but she couldn’t take it as the two sides went into the break without a goal.
Canada was not to be denied in the second half, though. A low cross from Lawrence found Leon at the far post, who finished well for her side to give them the lead. Despite that, however, Riise’s side was not to be denied, and Weir scored when her long-range effort struck substitute Nichelle Prince and misplayed Labbe to go in and secure Great Britain’s top spot.