KEY TAKEAWAYS: Annabelle Chukwu scores first CanWNT senior goals in 4-0 win vs. Zambia

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The CanWNT kicked off the FIFA Series on a high note on Saturday, as they cruised to a comfortable 4-0 victory over Zambia in Cuiabá. 

It wasn’t Canada’s sharpest performance, per se, but for a team that had failed to score in seven of their last eight games, they’ll live with that, as they were able to find the goals that have been so elusive for them as of late. Plus, just as importantly, they’ll be pleased that they kept a clean sheet for a second straight game, too, after previously going on a streak of 11 games without one. 

The result we wanted. The performance we needed!

Le résultat voulu. La performance nécessaire!

🇨🇦 🇿🇲 #CANWNT pic.twitter.com/gsIgTBjThu

— CANWNT (@CANWNT) April 11, 2026

Now, their goal will be to build off the good things they showed in this victory, as they get set for what’s expected to be a much tougher game against South Korea in the second of three FIFA Series matches they’ll play this window. 

In that South Korea match, which will be played in Cuiabá on Tuesday, they won’t be able to dominate the ball as much as they did against Zambia, forcing them to be a bit sharper in and out of possession than they needed to in this match. 

At the same time, Canada will relish this feeling of victory as they now turn their attention towards preparing for that Tuesday match, given that this Zambia victory was just their second win across their last nine matches. While it wasn’t a perfect performance, it was another step forward for a team looking to build itself up again after a tough end to 2025. 

After taking some key strides forward at the She Believes Cup earlier this year, they’ve continued to move in the right direction - now, they’ll just need to build on that as they get set for that matchup against South Korea, as well as a tough matchup against Brazil next weekend. 

With that in mind, here are three KEY takeaways from this one. 

Some familiar faces step up in different ways: 

It was a welcome sight to see - for the first time since the end of 2024, Kadeisha Buchanan suited up for the CanWNT, as she started at centre back alongside Vanessa Gilles in this game. 

Having sustained a major knee injury that kept her out of the entirety of 2025, Buchanan’s done well to ease back into action for Chelsea FC as of late, and that gave Canadian head coach Casey Stoney the confidence to lean on Buchanan early on in this camp. And that’s no small detail, either, as it must be remembered that this was the first time Buchanan had even played under Stoney for Canada, given that Stoney’s tenure began shortly after Buchanan’s injury. 

Because of that, it was nice to see Buchanan slot right in beside Gilles in Canada’s backline, reuniting a partnership that has done some great things for this side in the past. 

In this game, though, they didn’t have much to do - Zambia held just 29% of possession, and failed to generate any shots - but perhaps, that was a good way for Buchanan to ease back into her first Canadian start since the injury. Instead of defending too much, she spent most of her 78 minutes on the pitch in possession, completing 69 out of 73 passes, including four out of five long balls, although she did chip in with four recoveries, one interception and one clearance defensively. 

Yet, while Buchanan’s return was a huge storyline in this game, she wasn’t the only key Canadian veteran who caught the attention of fans, as a few players rolled back the clock with their performances. 

In particular, two stood out when looking at the starting lineup - Nichelle Prince and Simi Awujo. 

Firstly, there was Prince, who scored Canada’s two opening goals in this game, one with each foot, coming as part of a lively performance up front. Deployed in a flexible attacking role, one that saw her operate as more of a winger out of possession, but as a striker in possession, she used that to her advantage on both goals, as she drifted into the sort of dangerous spots you’d want a player of her profile to get into. 

GOAL 🇨🇦

NICHELLE PRINCE gives the CanWNT 🇨🇦 a 1-0 lead over Zambia 🇿🇲, rounding out a throw-in routine with a tap-in finish 😎

🔴 Watch LIVE on OneSoccer & TSN pic.twitter.com/IZVSbA98Yy

— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) April 11, 2026

As a result, on top of her two goals, she did well to generate five shots, as well as create one big chance, while also completing two dribbles in what was a lively 60-minute performance. 

GOAL 🇨🇦🇨🇦

It's NICHELLE PRINCE again for the 2-0 lead over Zambia 🇿🇲 as the CanWNT 🇨🇦 cruise into half-time 🔥

🔴 Watch LIVE on OneSoccer & TSN pic.twitter.com/QFDaIJQUsc

— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) April 11, 2026

After a strong SheBelieves Cup showing, one where she even nabbed a goal, that’s huge to see, as it’s a sign that Prince is returning to the sort of play she had for Canada at the end of 2023, which included a stretch where she scored three goals across a span of four months. Given that she now has three goals across this span of just over a month to start 2026, after scoring just one goal across the entirety of 2024 and 2025 for Canada, this is a sign that she could be a piece to watch out for offensively for a Canadian team looking for difference-makers to step up. 

Otherwise, Simi Awujo was another big standout, as she had some excellent moments in possession. Her decision-making with her final ball wasn’t maybe where she’d want it to be, as she completed just nine out of 13 passes, and she missed a big chance, but her desire to get on the ball and play progressively stood out, as Canada sometimes tends to play things safe in midfield.

Here's a clip that both shows where Awujo did well and struggled. After receiving the ball on the turn, she breaks a line with her dribbling, but then she scuffs the final pass. Yet, that shows what she can bring to the Canadian midfield - and where she'll want to be sharper (OneSoccer/TSN)

Awujo broke that mold a bit in this game, which was encouraging to see, as that’s something she often did in 2024, but she wasn’t able to build that in an inconsistent, injury-plagued 2025 for Canada. For a Canadian team looking to improve their depth in midfield, they’ll hope this is a sign Awujo is returning to her best, as Canada doesn’t have any box-to-box midfielders with her sort of physical profile - so look for Awujo to build on this, knowing that she still has another level to hit. 

Canada shows good versatility in possession, but are still looking to further push tempo:

As mentioned earlier, Canada spent a lot of time in this game on the ball - they finished with a whopping 71% of possession. Because of that, a lot of the game was spent in Zambia’s half of the field - 33% of the game was spent in Zambia’s final third, while 50% of the game was spent in the middle of the field (SofaScore).

Yet, that’s a credit to Canada’s ability to put Zambia’s defence under pressure, as they attempted 122 passes into the final third, and had 82 final third entries. 

Realizing that Zambia’s defensive lines were a bit disjointed in their 5-4-1, Canada were able to carve through those lines with smart and direct passing, and that helped them create some dangerous opportunities for themselves in and around Zambia’s box.

Here is an example of what Canada did well against Zambia - playing quickly and directly. When they did that, they did pretty well - although this nice Julia Grosso pass certainly deserves some credit, too (OneSoccer/TSN)

But for as solid as Canada were on the ball, it felt like they still had another level to hit in possession. For example, when it came to progressing the ball, Canada had several sloppy moments - while they might’ve attempted 122 passes into the final third, they only completed 56% of them, for example. 

What that shows, though, is where Canada struggled a bit - they didn’t necessarily push the tempo as much as they could’ve in possession. Whether it was due to their decision-making on the ball, some sloppy passes or their struggles with staying onside (they were flagged offside five times, and could’ve been flagged on a few other occasions), Canada missed several opportunities to put Zambia under intense pressure on the ball. 

Stoney certainly felt that, as there were a few times where she could be heard on the broadcast urging Canada to play quicker, having felt that her side wasn’t as sharp as she had hoped. 

For example, there was one moment in the first half where Canada had done well to invite Zambia’s press forward, leading Stoney to demand her side to ‘play out of pressure’ - but Canada were unable to take advantage of that opportunity and played into trouble. 

Yet, this is a reminder of what this Canadian team will want to get better at when it comes to their possession game going forward. They’re quite good at playing directly, as they showed in flashes throughout the game, as well as on some of their goals. 

When things come together for them, they can have some excellent, direct sequences of play, which is exactly what Stoney wants to see from them. There’s a reason why they were able to generate 3.199 xG on 18 shots (OPTA), which is not a bad return for a team that didn’t even play at its best offensively.

Here's an example that shows how Canada can increase their pace in possession. Here, after some patient build-up, they do well to play a line-splitting pass, and then burst into the final third with speed and precision. Playing fast doesn't always mean playing at a 100 miles an hour, it just means picking your spots (OneSoccer/TSN)

At the same time, there were moments where Canada had the opportunity to further push the pace in possession, and they struggled to do so, which played into the hands of Zambia.

Here's Canada's attack map from this game - as seen here, they did a good job of getting on the ball centrally, but didn't maybe turn that into the sort of threat they wanted in the final third (SofaScore)

That’s something that Canada has had issues with in the past - just look at their 0-0 draw against Argentina at the SheBelieves Cup, where they had a lot of possession but struggled to put their opponents under pressure on the ball - so this will be something they’ll look to keep working on going forward. 

They’ve done a good job of improving their possession patterns - they built up in a clear 3-2-5 again in this game - but now they’ll want to work on the tempo with which they play, especially in games where they have a bit more of the ball and are expected to be the aggressors in possession. 

Annabelle Chukwu puts an exclamation point on Canada’s victory: 

Might this be the beginning of Annabelle Chukwu’s breakout with the CanWNT?

It’s probably too early to say, but you can’t help but be excited about what the 19-year-old showed in a 45-minute cameo in this game, which she capped off with a pair of well-taken goals - her first two goals for the senior Canadian team. 

Given that she’s only filled the net where she’s gone, such as in the Ontario Premier League, the NCAA and at the Youth National Team, it bodes well that she’s now found the net at the senior National Team level, as she’s already looked more than capable of being a difference-maker for this Canadian team in her limited minutes over the past 12 months. 

Certainly, her body of work across her previous four Canadian appearances had been enough to catch the eyes of fans and Stoney, with the latter seemingly trusting Chukwu more and more with each passing camp. That she was comfortable turning to her for a 45-minute cameo in this game shows that. 

And, to Chukwu’s credit, she made the most of those opportunities. On her first goal, she showed off her instincts as a natural poacher, doing well to find the space to get on the end of a nice Olivia Smith cross, while on the second goal, she showed off her skills with the ball at her feet, doing well to create a half-yard for herself with a nice turn before firing a low strike into the goal. 

GOAL 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦

ANNABELLE CHUKWU makes it 3-0 for the CanWNT vs. Zambia 🇿🇲, as she combined with Olivia Smith for her first senior team goal ✨

🔴 Watch LIVE on OneSoccer & TSN pic.twitter.com/D1oF9wzCg0

— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) April 11, 2026

Plus, more importantly, she showed off the sort of bravery that makes her so special. Everyone knows about the skills she has, but the toughest thing for talented young players is to play with the same fearlessness they have at lower levels when they reach the elite level, something that Chukwu hasn’t struggled with yet so far. 

GOAL 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦

Make it TWO for ANNABELLE CHUKWU, who gives the CanWNT 🇨🇦 a 4-0 lead over Zambia 🇿🇲 in the last few minutes of this one ✌️

🔴 Watch LIVE on OneSoccer & TSN pic.twitter.com/tYjhlD10eT

— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) April 11, 2026

That’s worth noting, as this Canadian team has sometimes lacked for players with that sort of attacking mindset in the past, especially once Christine Sinclair hit her mid-30s. 

Now, though, in Chukwu, Canada has someone who seems to relish getting onto the ball and creating goalscoring opportunities for herself - and someone who is also skilled enough to turn those chances into goals. 

Of course, that’s not to say that Chukwu is to become the next Sinclair - it’s not fair to put that pressure on her, or any other youngster - but it shows why Canadians have been so excited about her development, given the lack of players they’ve had with her sort of profile. 

All of a sudden, with her emergence, the continued excellence of Olivia Smith, and the breakout of Kaylee Hunter, Canada has a few attackers under the age of 22 with the sort of attacking bravado they’ve not had a whole lot of over the past decade, and that’s huge.  

Now, the key for Canada will be to find a way to get the most out of those youngsters regularly - just figuring out how to extract the sort of world-class performances Smith regularly delivers for Arsenal is a challenge enough on its own - but Chukwu showed in this game that she doesn’t look that far off being able to regularly contribute for this Canadian team either. 

How's Annabelle Chukwu feeling after scoring her first two senior CanWNT 🇨🇦 goals?

-> "nbd 😏" pic.twitter.com/jnBSQV7jJp

— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) April 11, 2026

Perhaps, we might even see Chukwu, Smith and Hunter play together in the near future, the way things are trending - even if the likes of veterans such as Prince, Marie-Yasmine Alidou, Delaney Baie Pridham and others seem to have a lot to say about that.