Games of la
Francophonie
Soccer – Rwanda 3: Canada 2
A strong half for each team
At the first sound of the referee’s whistle to begin the soccer game between Canada and Rwanda at the Stade municipal de Beyrouth, the young North Americans pounced on the ball and monopolized it for the first five minutes. But the Rwandan players, better placed on the field, won the upper hand by effectively passing the ball. And 25 minutes into the game, African technique earned them the first goal with long angle-shot. Increasingly dangerous Rwandan attacks came one after another, especially in the 30th, 40th and 45th minutes of play. The first half ended with Rwanda leading.
At the beginning of the second half, the Canadian coach put Alexander Semenets in the game, who intensified our attack. Unfortunately, in the 55th minute, Rwanda re-established their lead with a second goal. Discouraged by this bit of bad luck, the Canadians allowed a third goal five minutes later.
Just when the fans had begun to think it was all over for Canada, the team pulled itself together, organized themselves better on the field and created a number of opportunities to score. In the end, the group effort paid off with a brilliant goal by Semenets 75 minutes into the game. From then on, the players doubled their efforts, maintaining control of the ball and demonstrating renewed confidence in their technical and athletic abilities until the last three minutes of additional time, when Semenets again came through to mark a second Canadian goal.
A disappointing result, but the players were not to blame. “The players are still getting used to one another; they’re reading the other team’s moves rather than reacting automatically,” commented Francis Millien, a Canadian radio and TV sports analyst. “After a tense first half, Team Canada nevertheless let loose in the second half and created a lot of chances to score.
Let’s hope that Team Canada has learned some valuable lessons for the next decisive game against Cameroon, another great soccer country.