Canadian women lose 1-0 to France in pre-World Cup friendly

SPORTS

Canadian women lose 1-0 to France in pre-World Cup friendly

The Canadian Press Published Thursday, April 9, 2015 5:44PM EDT

Canada's national women's soccer team head coach John Herdman watches as the team warms up for an international soccer game against Germany in Vancouver, B.C., on Wednesday June 18, 2014. Canada lost 1-0 to France on Thursday in its last game before Herdman selects his roster for this summer's World Cup. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck)

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BONDOUFLE, France -- Eugenie Le Sommer's 34th-minute goal gave France a 1-0 win over Canada in a women's soccer friendly Thursday.

The goal came on a beautiful give-and-go with Camille Abily. The ball was passed to Le Sommer, who played it back to Abily and then turned for goal. Abily found her with a pass and the Olympique Lyonnais striker beat goalkeeper Erin MacLeod with a powerful left-footed shot from close range.

Canadian defender Lauren Sesselmann, returning after a 13-month absence due to knee surgery, played the first half for Canada. Jessie Fleming, a 17-year-old midfielder, also played the first 45 minutes.

The game at the Stade Robert-Bodin was played before 11,441.

France, which will host the 2019 Women's World Cup, is ranked third in the world compared to No. 8 for Canada.

The two teams have history.

Diana Matheson's 92nd-minute goal knocked the French off the Olympic podium in 2012, earning Canada the bronze. And the French thumped the Canadians 4-0 at the 2011 World Cup to eliminate them from contention.

Canada has one more game before kicking off the World Cup on June 6 in Edmonton against China. The Canadians host No. 6 England in Hamilton on May 29.

Canadian coach John Herdman will name his World Cup roster on April 27 in Vancouver.