The Canadian women’s national team are off the mark at the World Cup, having beaten the Republic of Ireland 2-1 on Wednesday morning to improve to 1-1-0 and put themselves in strong position to qualify for the knockout rounds from Group B.

The match began disastrously for Canada, who defended a lot of pressure in the opening half-hour, and they found themselves trailing just four minutes in as Irish wingback Katie McCabe curled a corner kick over Kailen Sheridan to score an Olimpico — Ireland’s first ever goal at a Women’s World Cup.

The Canadians found their way back into the game at the end of the first half as a Julia Grosso cross skipped off Megan Connolly and in for an equalizing own goal. In the second half, they came out flying and Adriana Leon scored what would ultimately stand as the winner.

Here’s how the Canada players fared in their second group stage match.

Starters

Kailen Sheridan – 5/10

Canada’s goalkeeper made five good saves, but the early goal against was a mistake as Sheridan struggled to track McCabe’s cross from the corner and got beaten over her head. Distribution also wasn’t great, with just 53 per cent pass accuracy and only five out of 21 long balls finding a Canadian target.

Jayde Riviere – 7/10

Riviere had perhaps the most difficult assignment on the pitch marking McCabe, but she did fairly well in the role, and also had a couple bright moments going forward. She won all seven of her ground duels and had four successful dribbles.

Kadeisha Buchanan – 7/10

Buchanan only played the first half before coming off with injury, but her positioning was excellent as she stood her ground to force wingers back when attempting to dribble into the box. Also played 87 per cent of passes accurately.

Vanessa Gilles – 7/10

Gilles was excellent in the air, winning eight (out of 10) aerial duels and making 13 clearances. She wasn’t as quick to press as Buchanan and missed a clear-cut chance in the box at the other end, but it was a strong performance from the centre-back.

Ashley Lawrence – 5/10

Lawrence played at left-back this game and struggled tracking back at times, getting caught too high up the pitch and leaving space in behind — which led to the corner that Canada conceded on. She did get on the ball a lot and won seven of 11 ground duels, but wasn’t always able to pick out the right pass to get the ball forward to Huitema in front of her.

Quinn – 7/10

Quinn struggled to get involved much in the first half, but once Sophie Schmidt entered for the second half they were far less isolated in the middle of the park. Quinn had a couple of dynamic moments on the dribble, plus they made five tackles and three interceptions.

Jessie Fleming – 6/10

Fleming played 90 minutes but didn’t necessarily look like she’s operating at 100 per cent thanks to the injury that kept her out last game. She often had to go searching for the ball deeper on the pitch, which made it difficult to get it forward to the wingers. Fleming won seven of 15 ground duels and just four of 12 in the air, though she did produce three key passes.

Julia Grosso – 5.5/10

Grosso only really came to life in the last 10 minutes or so of the first half, before she was substituted out. Her passing was mostly accurate (84 per cent) though not always to the most dangerous areas. However, it was Grosso’s cross at the end of the first half that found a leg in the box and went in to equalize.

Adriana Leon – 7/10

The scorer of Canada’s second goal, Leon did very well to bring down the ball, set it up for herself with a touch, and finish. She didn’t have much service in the first half, but when Canada came to life in the second so did Leon.

Évelyne Viens – 4.5/10

A bit harsh for Viens, but unfortunately she was on an island completely in her 45-minute shift before being substituted. Viens had just 11 touches in total, with four of them in her own half and one being a kickoff — none in the box. Canada were just wholly unable to get the ball to her in good areas to even get a look at goal.

Jordyn Huitema – 7/10

After a difficult first half where Huitema — playing in a slightly uncomfortable position out on the left wing — struggled to make the best runs and get in position for through balls, she found her footing in the second half after Christine Sinclair came on. She had four shots on target plus two blocked, making five interceptions as well as her workrate in the press was very good in the second half.

Substitutes

Christine Sinclair – 5.5/10

The captain came in at halftime to play alongside Huitema and combined very well with her, making a handful of gorgeous one-touch flick-ons and passes. However, her finishing was uncharacteristically poor; she had about three clear chances in high-danger positions that she put straight at the keeper without much pace.

Sophie Schmidt – 8/10

Despite only playing the second half, Schmidt was probably Canada’s player of the match. She provided the assist for Leon’s goal and functioned as the midfield connection Canada had desperately been missing in the first half. She formed a good double-pivot alongside Quinn, allowing Jessie Fleming to get more forward and helping push the ball toward the attackers.

Shelina Zadorsky – 6/10

Zadorsky didn’t have much to do in the second half, coming on in place of Buchanan. Still, she did well in her role, holding position alongside Gilles to shutter Ireland’s late surge while Canada held a 2-1 lead.

Cloé Lacasse – 7/10

Lacasse was very lively in about half an hour of work, driving in from the right wing with pace and intent. She played in two accurate crosses and otherwise managed to get into the box with the ball pretty consistently. She offered energy that a tired Irish backline struggled to cope with.

Allysha Chapman – NR

Playing just about a minute of stoppage time at the end of the match, Chapman didn’t really have time to get involved.