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The draw made this morning in Tokyo for the football tournament at the 2020 Olympic Games, gave Canada a better than reasonable opportunity to proceed to the quarter-final stage.
A victory over Chile, playing at its first Olympics will be imperative, and expected, and should Canada be able to get anything from either of their two other opponents, Great Britain and Japan, it should be enough to at least qualify them as one of the best 3rd place teams.
Should Canada win the group, a much tougher proposition of course, then they would play one of the best third placed teams in the quarter-finals.
Finishing second would match them with the second-placed team from Group F which will be contested between China, Brazil , Zambia and the Netherlands.
Going through as one of the best-placed third-place teams would almost certainly see Canada clash with the USA in the last eight. The American World Champions are expected to top Group G, in which they will meet, Sweden, Australia and New Zealand.
Canada has taken bronze at the last two Games.
Japan first qualified for an Olympics in 1996 and will be heading into their fifth tournament, while for Great Britain it is their second-ever participation in Olympic football, the first coming in London in 2012.
The British team will be comprised of players from all four home nations and be led by England interim boss Hege Riise (51) who won Olympic Gold as a player with Norway in 2000 and was assistant coach to the USA team that lifted gold in London twelve years later.
Check out the latest, The Ball Is Round Podcast (Episode 25). Recorded Wednesday evening (14 April), the TBIR team discusses the CFM v TFC clash (with special guest Michael Singh of Waking The Red website, Montreal football issues of the week, their top three picks for per Conference, Concacaf Champions League & Canada’s WNT in the UK...
Plus all the usual favourite features... including, Eve’s Time Machine... Don’t miss it!
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