Janine Beckie Scores Goal In First Minute Of Canada’s 2-0 Olympic Opener Win Over Australia

Canadian women’s national team captain Christine Sinclair assisted in making Olympic history for her country by intercepting a pass to set up Janine Beckie’s goal just 20 seconds into her team’s 2-0 victory over Australia in Canada’s 2016 Olympic opener in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Wednesday.

Janine Beckie Scores Goal In First Minute Of Canada’s 2-0 Olympic Opener

Beckie’s goal marked the fastest soccer goal in Olympic history for Canada, who won their first group stage game despite being a player down for 70-plus minutes. The Canadian-American Houston Dash forward, who will be turning 22 later this month, was training with USA’s U-20 squad when she received a call one day from Andrew Olivieri, the head of the Canadian Soccer Association’s youth set-up, who was seeking new talent. He was preparing to make Beckie, who was born in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, an offer: to play instead for the country where her parents and three brothers were born.

The prolific young forward seems to have delivered thus far.

“He asked me if I wanted to join them and do some training, with no strings attached,” Beckie said. “If I didn’t like it, then that was fine. But I did like it. In fact, I loved it. I felt right at home.”

She was called up to play in the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Canada 2014 not long afterwards.

“It was a dream start,” said Sinclair. “I don’t think we could have drawn it up better for us. I am super proud of our team – the fight we showed and the spirit. It was a huge win for us.”

The captain doubled World No. 10 Canada’s lead in the 80th minute, receiving a fantastic long-range pass from Jessie Fleming before rounding goalkeeper Lydia Williams, who had rushed out, and scoring from distance past a defender to score her 163rd international goal and ninth Olympic goal.

Sinclair intercepted Laura Alleway’s pass to defensive partner Alanna Kennedy in front of the penalty box to set up Beckie’s record opening goal.

Mexico’s Oribe Peralta had the previous quickest goal when he scored within 30 seconds in the 2012 men’s final against Brazil.

Canadian defender Shelina Zadorsky was sent off in the 19th minute and will be suspended for Saturday’s game against No. 93 Zimbabwe as a result, while Beckie missed a 73rd-minute penalty.

“I take penalties,” explained Beckie. “I missed and it happens, but it’s been a while since I last missed. It would have been really great to score another. I’m going to keep on taking them if I can.”

After Zimbabwe, Canada will find a tough opponent when it meets No. 2 Germany on Tuesday. Coach John Herdman’s team is in good position to advance to the quarter-finals.

Herdman praised his team after the win.

“You [can] have all the talent in the world but it will always come back to grit,” he said. “And they [the team] gritted that out today. It was fantastic. They were disciplined defensively, outstanding.”

Australia coach Alen Stajcic lamented his team’s lackluster second-half performance.

“We’re obviously very disappointed,” he said. “The match was there for the taking and we weren’t good enough to take it.”

Germany defeated Zimbabwe 6-1 on Wednesday, while Sweden’s women’s team also beat South Africa 1-0 in group-stage play on Wednesday in front of a small crowd of only a few thousand spectators in Rio di Janeiro.

Canada won the bronze medal four years ago in London.

Article by Pablo Mena