Following Canada’s historic Olympic gold-medal win, veteran striker Christine Sinclair had a heartfelt message for Sweden’s Caroline Seger.
Seger had a chance to win the championship game for the Swedes, but she skied her penalty kick over the crossbar.
Julia Grosso subsequently converted hers for Canada, sealing the 3-2 shootout win after 120 minutes wasn’t enough to decide the outcome.
“I had the honor of playing with Seger in New York, we actually lived together,” Sinclair told reporters after the game. “She’s one of my friends, and my heart breaks for her. She’s done so much for soccer in Sweden. … My heart hurts for her.”
Sinclair: "I had the honor of playing with Seger in New York, we actually lived together. She's one of my friends and my heart breaks for her. She's done so much for soccer in Sweden. ... My heart hurts for her."
— Meg Linehan (@itsmeglinehan) August 6, 2021
“I hope that we’ll see some investment in the women’s game. I think it’s time Canada gets a professional league or some professional teams,” Sinclair continued. “And if a gold medal and three Olympic medals doesn’t do that, nothing will, so I think it’s time for Canada to step up.”
Sinclair: "I hope that we'll see some investment in the women's game. I think it's time Canada gets a professional league or some professional teams. And if a gold medal and three Olympic medals doesn't do that nothing will, so I think it's time for Canada to step up."
— Meg Linehan (@itsmeglinehan) August 6, 2021
When asked if Sweden’s silver medal was an opportunity lost, coach Peter Gerhardsson said: “Football isn’t history. It isn’t a tale; it’s nothing like that; it’s reality. And reality is brutal.”
“When we were in France [in 2019] and won the bronze medal, we won the last game and we were happy for that,” Gerhardsson went on to say. “Today, after a silver medal, I don’t myself get the same feeling. Silver is more than bronze, but my feelings today [are] not that way.”
Read Gerhardsson’s full quote here:
Full quote from Sweden coach Peter Gerhardsson regarding the disappointment of the loss in the #Olympics gold-medal game. pic.twitter.com/eOMjkL0BrZ
— Jeff Kassouf (@JeffKassouf) August 6, 2021