By Canadian Press

Canada and Iceland draw 0-0 in women’s international soccer friendly in Spain

Nov 29, 2024 | 2:15 PM

MURCIA — Canada and Iceland played to a scoreless draw in a women’s international soccer friendly Friday.

The sixth-ranked Canadian women now turn their attention to No. 19 South Korea on Tuesday, also at the Pinatar Arena.

Neither side produced much offence Friday in a game short on entertainment value. The few shots that were on target offered little challenge.

Canada had more of the ball and territory in the first half, with Vanessa Gilles and Jayde Riviere providing some accurate passes from the Canadian backline, but that superiority did not lead to scoring chances.

Thirteenth-ranked Iceland looked to defend and counter-attack, creating a good chance in the 20th minute only to see Canadian ‘keeper Sabrina D’Angelo get to the ball first before colliding with Karolina Lea Vilhjalmsdottir in front of goal. D’Angelo needed treatment on her leg later in the half because of the collision.

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Canada had 55 per cent possession and outshot Iceland 5-3 (1-1 in shots on target) in the first half. But Iceland came on as the first half progressed.

Lysianne Proulx took over in goal to start the second half, earning her first senior cap. And the Juventus ‘keeper was forced into an acrobatic leg save to deny Vilhjalmsdottir after an errant clearance in the 53rd minute.

Jessie Fleming and Olivia Smith offered a spark for Canada when they came on in the 67th minute. Deanne Rose followed off the bench, firing a shot over the Iceland crossbar in the 75th minute.

Smith, a 20-year-old who plays her club football in England for Liverpool, shot just wide in the 84th minute.

The Canadian women tied No. 3 Spain 1-1 in the October international window, their first outing since exiting the Paris Olympics at the quarterfinal stage in early August. Iceland was coming off a pair of 2-1 defeats to the top-ranked United States, in Austin, Texas, and Nashville.

Iceland posted a 4-1-1 record in qualifying for the 2025 UEFA Women’s Championship, finishing runner-up to fourth-ranked Germany in a group that also featured No. 17 Austria and No. 32 Poland. That included a 3-0 win over the visiting Germans which marked the first time Germany has been beaten by three goals in a competitive game since Brazil in the 2008 Olympic semifinals.

Canada’s starting 11 went into the match with a combined 772 caps.

Fullback Ashley Lawrence, centre back Shelina Zadorsky and forwards Janine Beckie, Nichelle Prince and Adriana Leon accounted for 572 of the Canadian caps. Lawrence, earning her 140th cap, captained the side for the first time with Fleming starting on the bench.

Marie-Yasmine Alidou, who scored her first goal for Canada off the bench in the draw with Spain, started in the midfield and earned her fourth cap. The 29-year-old plays in Portugal for Benfica.

The Iceland starting 11 included players with Italy’s Inter Milan, Germany’s Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen and VfL Wolfsburg, the Netherlands’ Fortuna Sittard, Norway’s Valerenga Fotball and Sweden’s FC Rosengard.

Captain Glodís Perla Viggosdottir, who is also skipper of Bayern Munich, is the first Iceland player to be nominated for the Ballon d’Or.

Canada had played Iceland twice before, both at the Algarve Cup, with the teams playing to a scoreless draw in February 2019 and Canada winning 1-0 in March 2016.

The Canadian women are 8-0-7 this year, with three of those draws turning into penalty shootout losses to Germany (in the Paris Olympics quarterfinal) and the top-ranked United States (in the SheBelieves Cup final and the CONCACAF W Gold Cup semifinal).

Another draw produced a shootout win over Brazil (in the SheBelieves Cup semifinal).

Cindy Tye, who coaches the Canadian under-20 women, is in charge for the November friendlies while Canada Soccer searches for a permanent head coach.

The governing body has said head coach Bev Priestman will not be returning in the wake of the recent independent report into the Olympic drone-spying scandal. Priestman, assistant coach Jasmine Mander and analyst Joey Lombardi are currently serving one-year suspensions from FIFA, with Lombardi having already resigned his Canada Soccer position.

Canada is missing a handful of veterans in Spain.

Kadeisha Buchanan, Sydney Collins, Cloe Lacasse, Evelyne Viens, Jade Rose and Quinn are out injured with Jordyn Huitema unavailable due to personal reasons.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 29, 2024

The Canadian Press