RIO DE JANEIRO — The Canadian women’s soccer team will look to defend the bronze they won four years ago in London after being shut out in their effort to go for gold on Day 11 of the Rio Olympics.
Canada’s bid to rise up the Olympic podium was derailed by Germany in a 2-0 semifinal loss Tuesday.
Goals by Melanie Behringer and Sara Daebritz on either side of halftime dashed Canadian dreams of reaching the final as the second-ranked Germans efficiently ended the Canadians’ four-game win streak. Down 2-0 after 59 minutes, Canada came on in waves but was unable to make ground before a sparse crowd at Mineirao Stadium.
Once the final whistle blew, tearful Canadian players were left to console each other on the field.
"It feels like crap right now," said midfielder Jesse Fleming. "I wanted to win a gold medal. But we’re going to win bronze … It sucks."
The Germans defended in numbers, with goalkeeper Almuth Schult a formidable barrier, and then looked to counter-attack or just hammer the ball downfield.
The 10th-ranked Canadian women will rue the opening goal in the 21st minute, a needless penalty conceded on a Kadeisha Buchanan sliding tackle. But Buchanan, who plays a take-no-prisoners kind of game, had to cover a lot of ground just to get to the German as the Canadian defence was caught short.
The Germans will play No. 6 Sweden in Friday’s final at the storied Maracana in Rio. The Swedes defeated No. 8 Brazil 4-3 on penalties after the game ended 0-0 following extra time.
Canada, which finished third four years ago in London after losing to the U.S. in the semifinals, will face the Olympic hosts earlier Friday in Sao Paulo for bronze. The two teams know each other well, splitting a two-game exhibition series in Canada prior to the Games.
Canada had made history earlier in the tournament by defeating Germany for the first time after 12 consecutive losses.
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