Germany Defeats Canada 4-1 At World Cup

Columbus, Ohio – Canada’s Women’s World Cup Team suffered a 4-1 loss to Germany in their opening game of the 2003 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Columbus, Ohio, Saturday. The Canadians will face Argentina in their second game in Group C play on Wednesday, September 24 at 8:30 p.m. in Columbus.



With the score knotted at one, the Germans scored in the opening minute of the second half and then again in the 75th minute after some good Canadian pressure to break the game open. The goals could not have come at a worse time for the Canadians who were also trying to recover from a penalty which gave the Germans their first goal of the game.



“I am disappointed in the performance because our confidence was low after the first goal and we did not respond the way I would have hoped,” said Canadian head coach Even Pellerud, who was forced to change his formation at the start of the second half to counter the quickness and one-touch passing of the Germans in midfield.



“The timing of their goals really hurt us. We were starting to get back into the game at 2-1 down and then they scored. We will have to bounce back and we probably need two wins to reach our goal of reaching the quarter-finals,” added Pellerud.



Pellerud started Charmaine Hooper in defence beside Sharolta Nonen with rookie Tanya Dennis on the right side and Brittany Timko on the left. Across the middle he started Andrea Neil, Kristina Kiss and Diana Matheson with Kara Lang, Christine Sinclair and Christine Latham up front.



Canada got off to a dream start when Sinclair opened the scoring in the 3rd minute with a header off a Kiss free kick. Kiss hit a deep ball to the far post where Sinclair rose to hit a powerful header across the goal and past German goalkeeper Silke Rottenberg.



Five minutes later, Nonen made a great tackle on the dangerous Birgit Prinz, who had got in behind the Canadian defence.



In the 11th minute, Hooper’s corner kick eluded Rottenberg and Latham headed into an empty net only for the goal to be called back for a foul on Rottenberg by Lang.



The Germans levelled the game on a penalty kick by captain Bettina Wiegmann in the 39th minute. The play developed from a great strike by Ariane Hingst which was matched by a great save by LeBlanc who managed to deflect the shot off the post. The ball fell to Prinz whose cross was parried by LeBlanc and inadvertently handled by Hooper who was cautioned.





Pellerud switched from his customary 4-3-3 to a 4-5-1 to start the second half and brought on Rhian Wilkinson for Lang. However he was forced to again make changes when Stefanie Gottschlich scored with a header in the first minute of the second half to make it 3-1. Gottschlich was picked out at the far post unmarked by Maren Meinert, who was named the player of the game, and her header eluded the outstretched LeBlanc.



The Canadians then started to get back into the game and in the 58th minute after some sustained pressure, Wilkinson put in a good cross which Latham only managed to flick on. Canada continued to press forward and enjoyed some of their better moments of the game. Hooper whipped in a corner in the 73rd minute which Sinclair flicked on, only for Dennis to just miss on the volley from in close.



With roughly 15 minutes to play, Neil dropped into the back four and Hooper pushed up front but minutes later Prinz made it 3-1 when she knocked a near post header past LeBlanc after a great cross from Meinert from the left wing.



Kerstin Garefrekes rounded out the scoring when she took a square ball at the top of the box and took two strides before striking a right-footed shot past LeBlanc and inside the far post.



The Canadians picked up two yellow cards with LeBlanc being cautioned in the 20th minute for a collision outside the box and Hooper’s hand ball. If any players picks up a second yellow they will miss the next game. Cards are eliminated once the quarters begin.



September 20, 2003 – Women’s World Cup

Crew Stadium, Columbus, Ohio

Canadatt1 (1)

Germanyt4 (1)

Goals: Canada – Christine Sinclair (3); Germany – Bettina Wiegmann (PK, 39), Stefanie Gottschlich (46), Birgit Prinz (75), Kerstin Garefrekes (92)

Cautions: Canada – Karina LeBlanc (20), Charmaine Hooper (39); Germany –

Referee: IM Eun Ju (Korea)

Assistant Referees: CHOI Soo Jin (Korea), HONG Kum Nyo (Korea)

Fourth Official: Sandra Hunt (USA)

Canada: 1 – Karina LeBlanc, 2 – Christine Latham, 5 – Andrea Neil, 6 – Sharolta Nonen, 8 – Kristina Kiss, 10 – Charmaine Hooper (c), 12 – Christine Sinclair, 13 – Diana Matheson, 15 – Kara Lang (9 – Rhian Wilkinson, 46) 16 – Brittany Timko, 18 – Tanya Dennis. Subs not used: 3 – Linda Consolante, 4 – Sasha Andrews, 7 – Isabelle Morneau, 14 – Carmelina Moscato, 17 – Silvana Burtini, 19 – Erin McLeod, 20 – Taryn Swiatek. Head coach: Even Pellerud

Germany: 1 – Silke Rottenberg, 2 – Kerstin Stegemann, 3 – Linda Bresonik, 5 – Steffi Jones, 6 – Renate Lingor (Kerstin Garefrekes, 73), 9 – Birgit Prinz, 10 – Bettina Wiegmann (c), 13 – Sandra Minnert, 14 – Maren Meinert, 17 – Ariane Hingst (4 – Nia Kuenzer, 65), 19 – Stefanie Gottschlich. Subs not used: 7 – Pia Wunderlich, 8 – Sandra Smisek, 11 – Martina Mueller, 12 – Sonja Fuss, 15 – Nadine Angerer, 16 – Viola Odebrecht, 20 – Conny Pohlers. Head Coach: Tina Theune-Meyer