Vanessa Gilles scored the winner in the 12th minute of injury time to shock the host French 2-1 on Sunday
SAINT-ETIENNE, France — Sometimes, the stars align even when it feels like everything is going against you.
Canada’s veteran centre-back Vanessa Gilles buried the winner in the 12th — and second-last minute of added time — to shock world No. 2 ranked France 2-1 Sunday at Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium. The goal kept the women’s national soccer team alive and breathing after FIFA knocked them to the floor with a six-point penalty in the group stage.
“The past 72 hours have been the most emotional in my entire footballing career,” Gilles, the 28-year-old Quebecker who plays professionally in nearby Lyon. “Just 12 hours ago, we were in a circle crying our eyes out after just having heard about the news, punching walls, crying our eyes out again, laughing about it in delusion, then crying again.”
Just like against New Zealand, Canada fell behind in the first half. But Jessie Fleming equalized on an early second-half tap-in before Gilles’ heroics.
A draw would have eliminated the defending champs from contention unless Canada Soccer launches a successful appeal to overturn FIFA’s decision. Even without the courtroom drama, they still have a chance to reach the final eight with a win over Colombia Wednesday in Nice.
What did Gilles see when she saw the rebound pop out to her?
“My heart went to the ground but it’s been on the ground for the past three days,” she said. “I was able to frame it about 50 times before I hit the ball. It was definitely a Matrix moment. There’s always that fear of going to VAR, calling it offside and then here we go again.”
When the team learned of the six-point deduction decision later Saturday, they processed their shock in different ways. Some were crying. Some were in stone-cold, let’s-move-on mode. Gilles revealed she almost broke her hand punching a wall.
It’s a good thing she didn’t try to kick it with her left foot. Some of her teammates called her an unlikely offensive heroine.
“That’s a little rude,” she quipped.
But it was a scorer’s tally off the post with her left cleat.
“That’s more accurate.”
She did it bleary-eyed and on an empty stomach after head coach Bev Priestman and two staffers were sent home and the shame of the cheating controversy stirred up so many people back home.
“Three days and none of us have really slept,” Gilles said. “None of us have really been able to eat. Lots of tears, so it’s just been a lot and to go out like we did and beat the second-best team in the world at their home with the stress and emotions and everything that’s been going on — pride.
“That’s the only thing I can tell you I’m feeling right now.”
The rebound marker looked a little like Diana Matheson’s late winner to beat France in the bronze match 12 years ago at the Olympics. That’s the one that kicked Canada’s current three-Games medal streak.
“I don’t know about that,” Gilles said. “I think she framed it a bit better than I did. Again, I’m sure she got a full night’s sleep before and a full meal. We have to go and do it again in three days (against Colombia) or this will all be for nothing.”
Did she expect a full night’s sleep Sunday?
“If it was any indication of the last three days, probably with a lot of Melatonin,” she said.
Because of the circumstances, Gilles called this the biggest swirl of emotions she has felt in any match. Not even the Olympic final against Sweden four years ago pushed as many mental buttons.
“It’s been 72 hours and we’ve had no control over anything,” she said. “We’re not a part of this and we’re getting suspensions like we all got caught doping or something. We’re just so tired of defending ourselves from something we have no control over and there’s nothing we could have done. We had no advantage. We went out there and played our hearts out.”
Of course, the greatest Canadian player of all time weighed in before the match. Christine Sinclair sent encouraging texts to Portland Thorns teammates Fleming and Janine Beckie to rally the troops.
“ ‘Sinc’ just said believe we can do it,” Fleming, the captain, said. “We’ve beaten teams like France in high-pressure moments in the past. She is always a woman of few words and she kept her silence. But for her to finally reach out and just know she’s cheering us on, it was very emotional.
“The people in our lives who truly care about us, we know we have their support. They’re the people who make me proud to be Canadian.”
They got it done with trademark grit and stick-to-it will. They never got rattled when it would have been so easy down the stretch.
The sanctions and villain status appears to have made them a dangerous crew again.
“It’s brought us closer,” Fleming said. “It feels like it’s us against the world right now. I definitely didn’t have this on my Bingo card for this Olympics. It’s been hectic. We care so much about each other. It’s not easy to see when your teammates are suffering and sad.
“We showed up for each other on the pitch.”
They uniformly hate the FIFA ruling, of course.
“I think it’s incredibly unfair to penalize the players in this way,” Fleming said. “The players had absolutely no control over this situation. It was incredibly upsetting but I’m so proud of how we were able to gather ourselves. That culture has always been there. It was set by Erin McLeod, (Sinclair) and Melissa Tancredi.
“They taught us to act in those tough moments. They’ve given us some wisdom (again) in the past few days.”
And when she saw the Gilles’ shot go in?
“Just joy and a bit of relief,” Fleming said. “This group of players deserves that. I thought we had a great second half and truly deserved that result.”
They survived a potential knockout from a great team. They’re not in the clear yet, but this was the first good day for Canada Soccer in quite a while.