Canadian women's football team captain Christine Sinclair said?in Beijing?on Wednesday that her team was in good shape and could beat any rivals.
"We are a good team and if we play well, we could beat anybody," Sinclair said when she walked out of the Beijing Capital Airport Wednesday afternoon.
It is the first-ever Olympic appearance for the Canadian women's football team, who just shut out Singapore with an astonishing 8-0 win in an international friendly match on Sunday, their final tune-up before the Games.
The ninth-ranked Canada faces No. 29 Argentina, No. 14 China, and No. 3 Sweden in Group A. The top two teams in each of the three round-robin groups, along with the two best third-place teams, advance to the quarterfinals.
The US, Norway, Japan and New Zealand form another group, while the final group has defending World Cup champion Germany, World Cup finalist Brazil, DPR Korea and Nigeria.
Speaking of the match against host China, Sinclair said the Chinese players were very skillful and enjoy historical advantage over her team.
"Playing against the host will always be hard," admitted the 24-year-old striker, who scored her 92nd career goal recently and will lead a Canadian dash for the podium performance known for its athleticism and hard-charging style.
She also stressed that Canada would fortify its attacking during the game against China in a pursuit of victory.
Canada will open the Olympic tournament on August 6 against Argentina in Tianjin, a city 120 kilometers away from Beijing. They play China on August 9, the day after the opening ceremonies, which means they won't be among the Canadian athletes marching in the opening ceremony of the Games.
(Xinhua News Agency July 31, 2008)