It was a match for the ages! After nearly 125 minutes of full-time and extra-time, followed by a nail-biting penalty shootout, the Canadian women’s soccer team has beaten Sweden to win Olympic gold.

Sweden, who came in as the 5th ranked nation in the world, had beaten Australia in the semis to make it into the finals, while Canada had beaten the USA women’s team for the first time in nearly 20 years.

The European nation opened the scoring in the 34th minute when Stina Blackstenius beat Canada’s star goalkeeper Stephanie Labbe. In the second half, Canadian star Jesse Fleming continued her incredible tournament, converting a penalty kick in the 67th minute to tie the game.

 

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After the minutes wound down and the clock ran out, the game was off to the most nerve-wracking way to finish a soccer game. And let us tell you, the penalty shootout was not for the faint of heart. In the fifth round of shots, Sweden held a 2-1 advantage and national captain Caroline Seger had a chance to score for the title. Instead, her shot flew over the bar, opening the door for Canada to tie.

Cue Deanne Rose from Alliston, Ontario, who stepped up in the pivotal shot, scoring with a solid strike to save Canada’s fate. Then, goalkeeper Steph Labbe made another brilliant save, before Julia Grosso, a 20-year-old from Vancouver, put home the final shot to win the gold.

One of the most incredible stories from the tournament is that Christine Sinclair, who began her career with Canada’s national team 22 years ago when she was only 16, is officially retiring after this match. Talk about going out on top!

This is Canada’s first-ever gold medal in soccer at the Olympics, and only the third medal, men’s or women’s, that the country has received in the sport. Obviously, Canadians from coast to coast went berserk, and we’ve gathered some of the best reactions and takes on the historic win.

In another incredible story, Canada’s Quinn has become the first transgender, non-binary person to win an Olympic medal, let alone gold.

Curiocity Staff

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