Vanessa Gilles scored in the 62nd minute to secure a 1-0 victory for Canada over Colombia, advancing the team to the quarterfinals of the Paris Olympics on Wednesday.
The team had earlier in the competition, been penalized with six points deduction due to a drone spying scandal, filming an opponent’s practice in France.
They won their first two matches but earned no points from those victories. They needed a win in Wednesday’s match in Nice to advance.
Vanessa Gilles’s goal advanced Canada into an unexpected spot in the knockout stages.
Canada will face Germany in the quarterfinals on Saturday in Marseille. Earlier in the day,
“Going into the match we wanted to win regardless of what that ruling was,” said captain Jessie Fleming. “It did not change our game plan or what we wanted to do.”
