“What’s given us energy is each other, is our determination,” a tearful Vanessa Gilles said in the post-match interview after scoring a stoppage-time winner goal. From the absolute depths of facing 6 points deduction and coaching staff suspension over the drone spying scandal, the Canucks are rallying forward to keep their hope alive in the tournament with a dramatic 2-1 win over France. Seems like Canada WNT won’t be giving up on their Paris Olympics 2024 dreams after all. In fact, the aftermath of the win saw Gilles, the CanWNT defender, burst onto the scene as she defended her nation from the spying allegations by insisting that they have ‘nothing to lose.’

Speaking during the post-match interview with CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) journalist Christine Roger, the 28-year-old said, “Heck we have nothing to lose, we haven’t slept in the last three days. We haven’t eaten, we’ve been crying. I wouldn’t say they are ideal performing situations but we’ve held each other through it and we’ve had absolutely nothing to lose.”

She continued, “Our pride to prove people wrong. Our pride to represent this country when all this sh*t is coming out about our values about our representation as Canadians. It’s not us, like I’ve said, time and time again defending ourselves. We’re not cheaters. We’re a damn good players, we’re a damn good team and we’re a damn good group and we proved that today.”

Notably, these allegations were made just days before their opening match against New Zealand. A drone was spotted hovering near the Kiwis’ training center with French authorities detaining Joseph Lombardi, a technical coach under Bev Priestman’s team for “flying an unmanned aircraft over a prohibited area.”

In the meantime, CanWNT also sent another assistant coach Jasmine Mander, with Priestman also forcing herself out of the New Zealand match. Though it eventually saw them face a points penalty, there’s still a chance for them to progress ahead.

Here’s how Canada can still progress through the knockout stages despite the points deduction

Even though CanWNT faced a major setback, they managed to pay their dues by opening two victories in the group stage against New Zealand and France. The French missed an opportunity to extend their lead after a 3-2 win over Colombia, allowing the South American team to take the top spot in Group A with a 2-0 victory over New Zealand, their first three points of the tournament.

Likewise, France now sits in second place, with Canada in third and yet to score. If Canada secures a win against Colombia, they could advance to the next stage. Meanwhile, France and New Zealand will face off, and a win for either team would see the other side fall behind Canucks. Be that as it may, a miracle is needed for Canada to reach the quarterfinals and overcome the stigma of their previous controversies.