Despite sanctions, CWNT a win away from advancing at Paris 2024

The Canadian women's Olympic soccer team will battle Colombia on Wednesday afternoon with a chance to advance to the quarter-final stage at the Paris Games.

That scenario seemed impossible just days ago, when a drone spying scandal rocked the team before the tournament began.

Head coach Bev Priestman and two assistants were suspended by FIFA for a year as part of a punishment after an analyst was caught using a drone to spy on New Zealand team practices before the start of Olympic competition.

The assistant coach he reported to and eventually Priestman were all removed from the Olympic team and sent home.

The sanctions also included a six-point penalty — the equivalent of two wins in the tournament — for the defending champion Canadians in Paris and a fine of around $313,000 levied against Canada Soccer.

Canada opened their tournament with a 2-1 win against New Zealand under interim head coach Andy Spence, but the true test came in a clash against host France on Sunday. 

It took a Vanessa Gilles winner in the 12th minute of stoppage time to push Canada to a 2-1 victory over France, the second-ranked team in the world, and into contention for advancement. 

"Just 12 hours ago we were in a circle crying our eyes out after hearing about the news," Gilles said after the victory against France. "Punching walls. Crying our eyes out again. Laughing about it in delusion and then crying again. It's been three days where none of us have really slept. None of us have been able to really eat. Lots of tears.

"It's just been a lot and to go out like we did and beat the second-best team in the world at their home with the stress and emotion and everything going on, it's just pride. That's the only thing I can tell you I'm feeling right now is pride."

After the first two games in Group A, France and Colombia are tied for the top spot at three points each - Canada is knotted with New Zealand at zero. A victory over Colombia would push Canada into second place on goal differential.

UPDATE: The Canadian Olympic Committee and Canada Soccer have appealed the Olympic women's soccer team's six-point deduction. A decision is expected before Wednesday's game against Colombia. 

The scandal has hung a dark cloud over a team that entered the tournament focused on defending their gold medal from the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.

Priestman expressed regret over the scandal in a statement released Sunday and was adamant that the team’s past success should not be marred by the report that this form of cheating has been ongoing for years.

"This program and team have allowed this country to reach the pinnacle of women’s soccer, and their winning of the gold medal was earned through sheer grit and determination, despite reports to the contrary," said Priestman, who coached the Canadian team in Tokyo. "I fought with every ounce of my being to make this program better, much of which will never be known or understood.

"I wish I could say more, but I will refrain at this time, given the appeals process and the ongoing investigation."

Canada looks to become the first nation to repeat as gold medal winners since the United States did so in three consecutive Olympics from 2004-'12.