Coming off a 1-0 loss to France in the opening game of the Tournoi de France on Wednesday, Canada faced a tough test against the Netherlands on Saturday afternoon.

Despite having an extra player for most of the second half, Canada were only able to draw with the the European champions, but showed signs that they can cause problems for top opposition.

The closest anyone came to scoring in the first half came in the 13th minute, as Everton’s Inessa Kaagman fired a shot off the crossbar from long range.

After picking injuries earlier in the tournament, Netherlands were already without their star striker, Vivianne Miedema, and her Arsenal teammate Jill Roord. It went from bad to worse for the Dutch as the third Arsenal player in the squad, Danielle van de Donk, went down with what appeared to be an ankle injury around the half-hour mark, and was replaced by Manchester United’s Jackie Groenen.

Danielle van de Donk is in tears on the sidelines and looks be in a lot of pain. With Vivianne Miedema already going down with a knock in this tournament, The Netherlands (and Arsenal) can't seem to catch a break.



Looks like Jackie Groenen is set to come in.#CANNED #CANWNT — Benedict Rhodes (@BTFR17) March 7, 2020

The score was 0-0 after 45 minutes.

Rust. Net als afgelopen woensdag zoeken we met de brilstand de kleedkamers op: 0-0.#CANNED pic.twitter.com/mSa3Qd5NWk — OranjeLeeuwinnen (@oranjevrouwen) March 7, 2020

Immediately after the interval, Dutch goalkeeper Lize Kop was sent down for a challenge outside the area on Nichelle Prince. Making just her second international appearance, she brought her down, denying a Canadian chance to score, and was replaced in goal by the experienced Loes Geurts, making her 124th.

Canada started to up the tempo after the sending off, and came closest to scoring in the 70th minute. Jessie Fleming rounded the Dutch goalkeeper and fired a shot from a tight angle, but the ball struck the far post.

Ashley Lawrence tested Geurts in the 78th minute with an effort from the edge of the area, forcing a save from the Dutch keeper, but Canada were still unable to find a breakthrough.

Four minutes into the seven minutes of added time, Canadian defender Vanessa Gilles had a chance to take the three points with a clear shot at the goal. Her effort went over the crossbar, however, keeping the score tied at 0-0.

Both sides were excellent defensively throughout, and the match ended scoreless.

Canada should be happy with a draw, and clean sheet, against one of the best teams in the world, but will feel as though they should have won that match. They dominated the possession and scoring chances after after The Netherlands went down to 10 players, but couldn’t break down the backline, something they often struggle to do against top opposition, but will need to do if they’re to finish on the podium again at the upcoming Olympics.

Correction: That should be two draws and six losses. Felt like one after the Gilles (who otherwise looked pretty good) miss. #CanWNT — Oliver Platt (@plattoli) March 7, 2020

Both sides are yet to find the back of the net in the tournament, as Canada fell 1-0, and The Netherlands drew 0-0 in their tournament openers.

Up next for Canada is the third and final match of this inaugural Tournoi de France, against Brazil on Tuesday. The Netherlands come up against the hosts, looking to stay unbeaten. The Canada match will again be available on OneSoccer.