Vanessa Gilles came up clutch once again to deliver the goal the Canadian women’s soccer team needed to beat Colombia 1-0 and advance in the Olympic tournament at Stade de Nice in Nice, France.
The result means Canada moves on to the quarterfinals despite having been docked six points by FIFA for the team’s spying scandal.
Gilles was the hero in Canada’s 2-1 comeback win over host France on Sunday, scoring the game-winning goal to keep the team’s gold-medal defence alive heading into Wednesday.
Canada, ranked No. 8 in the FIFA world rankings, aims to reach the medal podium for the fourth straight time after winning two bronzes (2012, 2016) and gold (2021).
The quarterfinals begin Saturday. Knockout play will continue through the final on Aug. 10 in Paris.
More to come.