Canada Secures First Win at FIFA Women’s World Cup with 2-1 Victory against Ireland
Canada, ranked seventh, triumphed over a resilient Irish team, who made their tournament debut, and battled heavy rain in Perth, Australia to secure a crucial victory in the Group B match.
In just the opening four minutes of the match, Ireland’s captain Katie McCabe scored the team’s first-ever goal at the FIFA Women’s World Cup from a corner kick, breaking Canada’s streak of not conceding any goals.
However, Canada equalized in extra time of the first half, thanks to an own goal by Ireland’s Megan Connolly. The match-winning goal came from Adriana Leon in the second half, marking Canada’s first win at the tournament.
Adriana Leon of Canada (right) and Katie McCabe of Ireland vie for the ball during their Group B match at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Perth, Australia, Wednesday, July 26, 2023.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/James Worsfold
With this victory, Canada now leads their group with four points. Their first match against Nigeria ended in a goalless draw, and they have one more group game remaining against hosts Australia on July 31.
The tournament is taking place amidst ongoing pay disputes, with one-third of the participating teams lacking payment agreements for their players. This includes Canada, which has been without a labor deal since 2021.
Canadian players are advocating for equal pay with the men’s team and have been in negotiations with Canada Soccer for over a year to secure a new contract. In March, an interim funding agreement was reached to compensate players for the previous year after they reported going unpaid.
Although progress has been made in talks with the federation, the anticipated interim pay agreement before the team traveled abroad did not materialize. The players have also had to reduce training camp days, full camp windows, and the number of players and staff invited to camps.
— with files from The Canadian Press
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