The second leg in Port of Spain appeared set for extra time only for Monica Quinteros to etch her name into the annals of Ecuadorian football with a 91st-minute winner.
After a scoreless opening leg in Quito last month, T&T dominated large periods of the game in front of a capacity crowd at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.
However, forward Quinteros latched onto a perfectly delivered free-kick from the left sideline in the first of three minutes of added time, glancing a header into the net from ten metres.
It was one of the few sights of goal during the contest for Ecuador, although Quinteros saw one notable first-half opening blocked.
T&T turned on the pressure after half-time with Kennya Cordner clipping the crossbar with a bicycle kick, while there were several sights of goal for the Soca Princesses as Mariah Shade and Akheela Mollon both spurned good openings.
The countdown to the premier competition in women’s football will begin on 6 December, when the city of Ottawa hosts the Final Draw.
Given that a record 129 nations entered the qualifiers and that the finals will, for the very first time, feature 24 teams – eight more than at Germany 2011 – it seems fitting that the draw will unfold in the setting of the Canadian Museum of History.
The finals will take place from 6 June to 5 July next year, and the draw will reveal who the 24 participating nations will face in the group phase and where they will be playing with Ottawa, Moncton, Montreal, Winnipeg, Edmonton and Vancouver providing the venues, from coast to coast.
Two of the stars on show at the draw ceremony will be Canada’s own Christine Sinclair, the third-highest scorer in the history of the women’s game, and tournament ambassador Kara Lang, who is the Canucks’ youngest ever international, having won her first cap at the age of 15. Lang will assist with the draw itself, which will be presided over by FIFA Secretary General Jérôme Valcke and FIFA Head of Women’s Competitions and Deputy Director of Competitions Tatjana Haenni.
The Canada national women’s team current captain and all-time leading scorer, Sinclair will be joined by Sarah, a 12-year-old who, like many other young Canadians, hopes to emulate her idol one day and represent her country.
Together they will welcome the world to Canada, a country that loves its sport and women’s football in particular.
Aside from revealing the destiny of the 24 finalists, the ceremony will also provide an intriguing sneak preview of what visitors can expect when they travel to Canada for the world finals. The Museum’s many treasures will be on display, while singer Eva Avila will be just one of the performers showcasing their talents on the stage.
Also appearing on the world-class international broadcast are national sporting legends Catriona Le May Doan and Chantal Petitclerc, who will be presenting the event.
Story courtesy of FIFA. For more on the world game go to www.fifa.com

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