Canadian women face toughest test to date at Olympics against Germany

It’ll be a battle of the last two Olympic champions when Canada takes on Germany in this weekend’s quarterfinals of the women’s soccer tournament at Paris 2024. 

The Germans won their fourth Olympic medal when they struck gold at Rio 2016, while the Canadians changed the colour of their medal by taking the gold at Tokyo 2011 after winning back-to-back bronze medals. 

Canada punched its ticket for the knockout round in Paris with a perfect 3-0-0 record in the group stage despite being slapped with a six-point penalty in connection to the drone/spying scandal. Germany finished behind the United States in their group but still impressed in the first round to advance. 

Here’s what you need to know about Canada’s quarter-final vs. Germany.   

QUICK HITS   

• Saturday’s match kicks off at 1 p.m. ET / 10:00 a.m. PT at Stade Vélodrome in Marseille. 
• The Canadians earned come-from-behind victories in their opening two contests against New Zealand (2-1) and France (2-1), and then shut out Colombia (1-0) in their group stage finale.
• The Germans’ 4-1 loss to the United States was sandwiched between convincing wins over Australia (3-0) and Zambia (4-1) to finish second in Group B.  
• Canada is No. 8 in the current FIFA world rankings. Germany is 4th. 
• Canada is competing in its fifth Olympic tournament this summer and is seeking to reach the medal podium for a fourth straight time after winning two bronzes (2012 and 2016) and gold (2021).  
• Canada is also looking to become the first nation to win back-to-back Olympic gold medals since the United States won three in a row from 2004 to 2012.  
• Germany is making its sixth Olympic appearance this summer. After bowing out in the group stage in 1996, the Germans went on to win three consecutive bronzes (2000 to 2008) before striking gold in 2016. 

CAN CANADA KEEP THE MOMENTUM GOING?

The Canadian team has shown great resolve at the Olympics, twice coming back from a goal down to secure a victory, and twice winning crucial games when facing a must-win-or-go-home situation. And the players have done all of that with the spectre of the spying scandal hanging over their heads and people questioning their integrity. 

But now the real test begins for Canada with the start of the knockout round, and with a tough challenger in Germany. If the Canadians are to get back to the medal podium, it will have to win three games in a row from here on out, most likely against teams who are higher than them in the current FIFA world rankings. 

In its opening two games of the competition against New Zealand and France, the Canadians conceded the first goal in the opening half before coming from behind to win both times. But it would be ill-advised to rely on such comeback tactics versus the Germans, who are renowned for being positively ruthless in putting opponents away once they have the lead. 

Canada has been defensively sound at this competition and is coming off a shutout win over Colombia. The Canadians comfortably dealt with the South Americans’ aggressive press and speedy counterattack and largely controlled the match with their possession game. For the third time in a row in Paris, Les Rouges also kept a clean sheet in the second half. 

If Canada can duplicate that kind of performance against Germany, it will give itself a great chance of booking a spot in the semifinals. 

GERMANY WILL BE CANADA’S TOUGHEST TEST 

Germany entered the Paris Olympics as one of the favourites and showed why with a solid group stage performance. The Germans finished second in Group B with six points behind the United States (nine points), with their loss to the Americans in their second match being their lone blemish. 

Germany boasts the second-best attack at the Olympics with eight goals. Bayern Munich forward Lea Schüller leads the team in scoring with three goals, while five other players have found the back of the net, so the Germans are getting balanced scoring. Canada will have to rely on the solidity of its defensive structure that got it this far in the tournament to shut down a very dangerous German attack. 

At the same time, coach Horst Hrubesch’s side has conceded five times in Paris, so look for the Canadians to try find some attacking joy by forcing their defenders onto the back foot and getting in behind the Germans’ defence. 

Historically, Germany is one of the most decorated nations in women’s soccer, having won two World Cups (2003 and 2007), an Olympic gold medal (2016), three bronzes (2000, 2004 and 2008) and eight European Championships from 1989 to 2013. The Germans have also dominated the Canadians whenever they’ve been matched up (more on that later). 

PLAYERS TO WATCH   

Vanessa Gilles, Canada: With the exception of captain Jessi Fleming, the centre back has been Canada’s best player at the Paris Olympics. Partnered with Kadeisha Buchanan and Jade Rose, Gilles has marshalled a Canadian defence that has given very little away and conceded just twice through its three group stage matches. 

Critically, Gilles, a 28-year-old from Ottawa, has scored the game winner for Canada in back-to-back matches in Paris, both of which were must-win games for the Olympic champions. Gilles has five goals in 44 appearances (41 starts) since making her international debut for Canada in 2019. Three of her goals have come in 2024. 

Alexandra Popp, Germany: The German captain has started all three games for Germany but has yet to register a goal. That’s a bit surprising, even if she’s been used as a midfielder in Paris, considering the VfL Wolfsburg striker is her country’s third-all-time leading scorer with 67 goals. 

But don’t discount Popp. She’s a veteran player who rises to the occasion when they’re big stakes involved, including scoring both of Germany’s goals in its semifinal win over France at Euro 2022. 

CANADA’S PROJECTED STARTING 11 

(3-4-3): Kailen Sheridan – Jade Rose, Vanessa Gilles, Kadeisha Buchanan – Ashley Lawrence, Julia Grosso, Jessie Fleming, Gabrielle Carle; Ardiana Leon, Nichelle Prince, Janine Beckie 

PREVIOUS MEETINGS: CANADA vs. GERMANY

These nations previously squared off on Feb. 22, 2022, at the Arnold Clark Cup. Vanessa Gilles’ early goal was the difference in Canada’s 1-0 at Carrow Road in Norwich, England in the team’s second match of the group stage. 

Canada opened the scoring in the seventh minute when Gilles connected on a towering header from eight yards out off a well-designed corner kick sequence. It was Gilles’ first goal for Canada in 16 appearances, while Janine Beckie collected her 12th international assist. Gilles’ header was also the Canadians’ first goal off a set piece in over a year. 

Germany has won 15 of its 17 encounters against Canada dating back to their first meeting vs. each other in 1994. Canada’s only other win in the series came during the group stage of the 2016 Rio Olympics, where the Germans went on to win the gold medal. 

Canada is riding a 10-game unbeaten run at the Olympics. Coincidentally enough, its last defeat in the tournament came in 2016 when it lost 2-0 to Germany in the semifinals, as the Europeans exacted a measure of revenge for their group-stage loss to the Canadians.  

WHAT’S NEXT? 

If Canada beats Germany it will advance to next Tuesday’s semifinal in Décines-Charpieu where it will face the winner of this weekend’s quarter-final between the United States (ranked No. 5 in the world) and Japan (No. 7). The Canadians would need to win that match in order to have a chance to claim a fourth consecutive Olympic medal. 

John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 20 years for several media outlets, including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer. TFC Republic can be found here.