Six-point deduction? No problem. What was supposed to be a death blow for the Canadian women’s soccer team’s hopes in Paris ended up just being a bit of an extra challenge. With another win on Wednesday, they advanced out of their group as an incredibly rare 3-0, three-point team.
It’s a great story for a team whose bosses are in deep trouble, but it’s not the end of the road. To repeat their magic moment in Tokyo, they must continue their clean sweep into the knockout rounds, starting with a Saturday match against Germany.
1:00 p.m. ET Headliner: Canada vs. Germany
| Canada Win | +235 | Germany Win | +122 | Draw | +265 |
| Over 2.5 Goals | -154 | Under 2.5 Goals | +115 | Broadcast | CBC |
At this point, most of the punishment involved in Canada Soccer’s drone scandal is now behind the players. They have a shorter bench of staff – most notably not having head coach Bev Priestman for the entirety of this tournament, and likely permanently – but the six-point deduction, affirmed ahead of their final round-robin game on Wednesday against Colombia, was the last of the direct impacts towards the squad.
Knowing they needed a whole three points to advance, it was do-or-die for Canada. They rose to the occasion as Vanessa Gilles continued to write her story as the hero of this year’s squad. Just a few days after scoring a late stoppage-time winner against France, she struck once again in the 62nd minute, scoring a header off a set piece. Colombia pressed and almost tied the game up just a few minutes later, but Kailen Sheridan was as prepared for the task as she’s been all tournament.
It was a massive, inspiring result for the team, who have likely won the hearts of the public even if they don’t go all the way from here. They’d still like to, however, and while they’re underdogs in this match, that didn’t stop them against France, who are ranked even higher than Germany.
That doesn’t mean this will be an easy task, though. The Germans have had a fairly strong tournament of their own thus far, earning commanding results against Australia (3-0) and Zambia (4-1). Their game against the United States on June 28th did show some weakness in the group, however, as they were handily defeated 4-1 on the back of three American goals in the first half.
Germany has won the vast majority of the games in this head-to-head, going 15 for 17. However, Canada was the victor in the last match between the two, earning a 1-0 result at the Arnold Clark Cup. The lone goal scorer? You’re not going to believe this, but it was Gilles—her first international goal, at that.
Game Bets To Consider
- If you want to ride the hottest hand for Canada, Gilles sits at +600 for an anytime goal, and if you want to ride the hottest head, she’s +1700 for a header. With that said, I do think you have to trust that their more historically reliable targets will convert soon. Adriana Leon hasn’t come through for us yet, but with four shots in 60 minutes against Colombia, you have to think a goal is coming. Don’t rule her out at +210 anytime.
- Watch out for Klara Buhl on Germany. She has taken 11 shots in three games. Only two have hit the net, but one of them became a goal in their last match against Zambia. If that momentum snowballs, she could be a solid anytime goal option at +300.
Bet on Canada vs. Germany
CAN +235
GER +122
Other Olympic Soccer Games On August 3
Four other games are being played on August 3rd, and there’s no shortage of bangers. The world rankings in these matchups say it all: 5 vs. 7, 1 vs. 22, 4 vs. 8, and 2 vs. 9. Seven of the top nine teams getting to this stage means we should get nothing but quality across the morning and afternoon matches.
| Away Team |  | Draw | | Home Team | Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | -154 | +310 | +365 | Japan | 9:00 AM |
| Spain | -357 | +410 | +900 | Colombia | 11:00 AM |
| Canada | +235 | +265 | +122 | Germany | 1:00 PM |
| France | -128 | +305 | +360 | Brazil | 3:00 PM |
Latest 2024 Olympic Women’s Soccer Odds
Here are the latest Paris 2024 Women’s Soccer Futures odds, heading into the matches on August 3rd:
| Team | | Last Match | Team | | Last Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | +150 | +165 | Japan | +1400 | +1400 |
| USA | +165 | +190 | Canada | +1500 | +2400 |
| France | +600 | +550 | Brazil | +2400 | +2400 |
| Germany | +1100 | +1600 | Colombia | +3400 | +1400 |
Canada’s outright odds have improved with their success, though they still remain outside of the favourite’s circle. This is likely due to Germany being considered the favourites in this specific game, and they should see another big jump should they pull off the upset.
Colombia took the biggest dent coming out of the final match day, both due to Canada’s victory over them and due to them facing an even tougher Spain in the quarters.
