Vanessa Gilles hasn’t scored too many goals during her time with the Canadian women’s national soccer team, but she’s been sure to save them for big moments.
Scoring the decisive penalty in the 2020 Olympic quarterfinal against Brazil en route to a gold medal, Gilles played hero once again on Sunday in Canada’s thrilling 2-1 win over world No. 2 and host nation France.
With 13 minutes of extra time due to a player injury, the Canadian full-back found herself in the right place at the right time to score an instantly iconic match-winning goal.
And while the goal itself would be big in any match, it quite literally kept Canada’s hopes of advancing to the quarterfinals alive, given recent sanctions against the program by FIFA and the IOC.
Team head coach Bev Priestman and two Canada Soccer staffers, analyst Joseph Lombardi and assistant coach Jasmine Mander, were sent home from the Games and banned from soccer competitions for a year after a drone was discovered spying on New Zealand ahead of the opening match of the tournament.
But the biggest penalty came when the decision was made to dock Canada six points in the group stage, meaning they’d need three wins to qualify for the quarterfinals.
Following the win over France, Gilles gave an inspired interview to CBC about the roller coaster of emotions she’s experiencing the last few days.
“We haven’t eaten, we’ve been crying. I wouldn’t say they’re ideal performing situations, but we’ve held each other through it and we’ve had absolutely nothing to lose,” she said.
Vanessa Gilles after scoring the game-winning goal in stoppage time in Canada’s 2-1 win over France at #Paris2024 🇨🇦
This win keeps Canada’s hopes of repeating as Olympic champions alive – the Canadians were handed a six-point deduction from FIFA after the drone spying scandal⚽ pic.twitter.com/cHHiyzk1Rv
— CBC Olympics (@CBCOlympics) July 29, 2024
“What’s given us energy is each other, is our determination, our pride to prove people wrong, our pride to represent this country when all this s*** is coming out about our values and our representation as Canadians.”
Despite being docked six points, Canada can still qualify for the quarterfinal with a win on Wednesday against Colombia. That match goes at 3 pm ET/noon PT. A win could see Canada second in the group, or actually amazingly finish first, should New Zealand upset France.
“We’re not cheaters,” Gilles continued. “We’re damn good players, we’re a damn good team, we’re a damn good group, and we proved that today.”
Priestman issued an apology on Sunday before kickoff for her role in the scandal.
“I am absolutely heartbroken for the players, and I would like to apologize from the bottom of my heart for the impact this situation has had on all of them,” Priestman said. “As the leader of the team on the field, I want to take accountability, and I plan to fully cooperate with the investigation.”
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