Canada strolls past Ghana 4-0 to revive quarterfinal push

By CHRIS LINES
Associated Press Sports

Sept. 15, 2007

HANGZHOU, China (AP) -Canada improved its chances for a quarterfinal berth by eliminating Ghana from the Women's World Cup with a 4-0 win Saturday, and captain Christine Sinclair broke her nation's World Cup scoring record.

Sophie Schmidt and Martina Franko also scored for Canada, while veteran Andrea Neil came on as a late substitute to become the player with the most international appearances in team history.

Two losses from two games means Ghana cannot progress, while Canada's fate will rest on the outcome of its last Group C game against Australia on Wednesday.

Sinclair's two goals took her to five in World Cups, passing the previous mark of Charmaine Hooper.

"It's a huge honor,'' Sinclair said. "It just goes to show the improvement our national team has made over the past few years, we are able to score goals and I am just part of that.''

The four goals could prove important to Canada, as it exceeded by one the margin by which Australia beat Ghana, and that may be decisive if group standings come down to goal difference.

But coach Even Pellerud did not ask for a big margin before the game.

"This time we had the aim to win the game only,'' Pellerud said. "To say to my players we should score four, five or six goals it's not fair, it's too much pressure.''

Ghana was exposed by the strength and directness of Canada. Exasperated coach Isaac Paha was even warming up a reserve goalkeeper in the closing stages in an effort to stem the flow of goals.

"There are certain things in which other teams are far ahead,'' Paha said.

"I believe we can achieve those goals. If it's not in this competition then we go back and prepare well.''

Canada's took the lead in the 16th minute. A cross to the far post found Sinclair, whose looping header could only be palmed over the line by the backpedalling Ghana goalkeeper.

Ghana came closest in the last seconds of the first half when a shot rebounded off the bar.

Canada went two up in the 55th minute. A corner was headed off the line but into the path of Schmidt, whose header on goal went in off the head of a Ghana defender.

It was 3-0 in the 62nd minute, as goalkeeper Memunatu Sulemana rushed off her line to try to steal the ball off the boot of Kara Lang, but she skipped clear and squared the ball to Sinclair, who knocked it into the unguarded net.

The final goal came by a goalkeeping error in the 77th minute. Sulemana failed to grasp a corner and Franko nodded in the loose ball.

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