Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games – Women’s Football Gold Medal Game
Sweden vs Canada
August 6, 2021 at 8:00 am EST/9:00 pm JST
International Stadium Yokohama
Watch Live: CBC TV network, CBC Gem, CBC Olympics app, CBC Sports’ Tokyo 2020 website

Canada will conclude their journey at Tokyo 2020 with an Olympic medal, but on Friday will decide what colour that medal is with the gold medal match against Sweden.

Important to note is the time and location change — both teams wanted this match to be moved from the original late-morning start due to extreme heat in Tokyo, so the match has been moved to 9 pm local time (8 am EST). With Athletics events also taking place at that time, the match has also been moved from the Japan National Stadium to the International Stadium Yokohama in Yokohama, just a short distance away.

Canada wanted to change the colour of the medal at the start of this tournament. They’ve guaranteed that, and now have the chance to walk away with the ultimate prize.

The Canadians got to the final by beating a very strong American side — their first win over their local rivals in 20 years. A perfect penalty from Jessie Fleming was the difference as the 23-year-old earned Canada a spot in the final, beating Adrianna Franch to the American goalkeeper’s left.

Sweden dominated their group, beating the United States 3-0, Australia 4-2, and New Zealand 2-0 in an impressive showing. They followed it up by knocking out the hosts Japan 3-1 in the quarterfinal, before a rematch with Australia in the semifinal. This match was a lot closer than the previous fixture, with Fridolina Rolfö’s goal moments into the second half enough to earn her side a well-deserved spot in the final.

Canada and Sweden have played some huge games against each other in recent years. The two met in the group stage at the London 2012 Olympics, where their match ended 2-2. Melissa Tancredi scored both Canadian goals in the second half as her side battled back from a two-goal deficit to earn a big point and seal their spot as the best third-placed team in the group stage, booking their spot in the knockout round. Canada went on to win their first of back-to-back bronze medals there, and start this run of three-straight Olympics with a medal.

Sweden left London 2012 empty-handed, but won the silver medal at the Rio 2016 Games, and will be motivated to change that to gold in Tokyo.

These two sides last met at the 2019 Women’s World Cup. Stina Blackstenius scored the winning goal as Sweden took the Round-of-16 clash, a match in which Janine Beckie missed a penalty as Canada were knocked out of the tournament.

Friday’s contest is arguably the biggest match in Canadian soccer history — this is their first chance for the women’s national team to be Olympic champions, and Canada are ready to fight for the gold.

“We have come this far, so we want to come back home with a Gold Medal,” said Bev Priestman, “The team won’t go into that Final just happy to be there and go home with silver. We have a group of 22 players who are ready for that Final, who are ready to do something special for our country.”

Canadian forward Nichelle Prince echoed those sentiments that Canada is up for the fight.

“We are ready to face Sweden in the Final match of Tokyo 2020,” said Prince. “We know they are a tough team to beat, and they had a good tournament so far, but if we can beat USA, we know we can get a victory against Sweden. I’m excited because I know what this team can do, and we want to make our country proud and bring a Gold Medal back home.”

3 THINGS TO WATCH

• Expect an unchanged lineup for Canada: As the saying goes, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Bev Priestman used exactly the same starting lineup against both Brazil and the United States, and they didn’t concede a goal in two huge victories. Stephanie Labbé has been the hero for Canada between the sticks on several occasions throughout this tournament, none more impressive than the win on penalties against Brazil in the quarterfinals. The backline of Allysha Chapman, Kadeisha Buchanan, Vanessa Gilles, and Ashley Lawrence has been rock-solid in the past two matches, with Buchanan playing every minute at the tournament thus far and Lawrence impressing on both sides of the ball. In midfield, the trio of Quinn, Jessie Fleming, and Desiree Scott has a combination of defensive solidity and playmaking prowess, linking up with the attackers Janine Beckie and Nichelle Prince out wide and the legendary Christine Sinclair up top. This is the team that got them to the final, and it’s the team that will almost certainly take the pitch against Sweden.
• Swedish forwards racking up the goals: Sweden has scored a lot of goals in this tournament — 13 in total, second only to Netherlands’ incredible 23. Sweden has had seven different goalscorers – including their star centre-back Magdalena Eriksson, and some of their important forwards. Stina Blackstenius, one of the faces of the Swedish national team, leads the team with four goals thus far at the tournament, with teammates Fridolina Rolfö and Lina Hurtig sitting on three and two, respectively. Canada’s backline has been good, but this will be their biggest challenge yet.
• Canada sometimes hesitant to shoot the ball: Canada didn’t score a goal that wasn’t from the penalty spot in either of their knockout round matches (Jessie Fleming’s winner against the United States and the shootout win against Brazil) — so scoring goals is a bit of a concern heading into this match — but the preferred front three is still absolutely Christine Sinclair at striker with Janine Beckie and Nichelle Prince on either side of her. Prince and Beckie have both impressed at times with their runs behind the defenders and pace down the two wings, but haven’t always found the final pass or shot needed to create a goal. They’re creating the opportunities, but sometimes need to be a bit more selfish and take a shot instead of opting to look for a pass.

ALL-TIME SERIES

 Sweden wins: 14 || Canada wins: 8 || Draws: 5

Previous match:

Women’s World Cup: June 24, 2019 – Sweden 1-0 Canada