“This is the toughest...I guess scenario the team has been in" How Canada overcame adversity to keep Olympic dream alive

A stunning last-gasp winner not just kept Canada in the Paris 2024 Olympics, it sparked scenes which showed just how much the scandal engulfing Canada Soccer has taken its toll on its team...

The emotion was visible after Canada’s last-gap win over France on Sunday night. Image: Canada Soccer

The scenes resembled something similar Tokyo 2021, when Canada finally cracked the code and won a gold medal after beating the likes of long-standing rivals USA and then Sweden on the way to a first major tournament success.

But this was no gold medal match, simply a test of mental resilience, passed with flying colours by a Canada side without their head coach, an assistant, and the eyes of the world on them.

The spygate story which has engulfed and suffocated Canada Soccer and its women’s team - and potentially further and deeper into the federation – will not go away quickly, given the alleged depth their use of drones to film private sessions of opponents went to across both the men’s and women’s teams at various levels, but for now all their Olympians can do is get out on the pitch and do the job asked of them.

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Hence the scenes after Vanessa Gilles scored a dramatic late winner in the twelfth minute of stoppage time to come from behind against hosts France and stun a partisan home crowd in Saint-Étienne on Sunday night.

The emotion was both visible and palpable in both the full-time scenes and in the mixed zone – held by FIFA immediately after a match has ended - before the players having chance to catch their breath.

As France’s dejected players made their way through minutes after the game had ended, Canada’s took a little longer, enjoying the moment and spending time with family and friends in the stands, such was the emotional toll taken on them over the past few days.