Now, don't lie. You didn't "know" it was going to turn out the way it did.
Sure, after the Olympic bronze-medal game, there was always hope that even after 90+ minutes of being outplayed against a superior French side, Canada could find a way to snag a result. So even as the minutes ticked down during an international friendly in soggy Nice on Thursday, hope remained alive that Big Red could escape with something.
Still... a mistake by the steady French, a quick one-two, a cool-as-you-like finish by Kaylyn Kyle on the last kick of the match to squeak out a draw? Nah, we didn't see that coming.
But that wasn't the only notable surprise for the women's national team on the day.
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This was, after all, only the second chance Canadian fans have had to see the team play since those Olympics, as head coach John Herdman attempts to revitalize the lineup ahead of the 2015 Women's World Cup. So there was plenty for us to learn -- or, in some cases, to remind ourselves of.
- While she and Karina LeBlanc have been in a 1/1A situation in the Canadian goal for several years, Erin McLeod is helping to stake her claim to the #1 position with performances like Thursday's against France. She was faultless on the excellently-taken goal by France's Elodie Thomis, and single-handedly kept the game with at least three crucial saves.
- It was a rough -- at times, very rough -- day for the Canadian backline against a French team that looked dominant for vast stretches of the game. And though nearly every player on the field for Canada was victimized at some point by a bit of quick movement, crisp passing or tricky footwork by France, a good news story was 17-year-old starting CB Kadeisha Buchanan. While she showed her lack of experience on a number of occasions, she also demonstrated good timing and composure, two elements that are surely a big part of Herdman's decision to integrate her into the starting lineup.
- The number of giveaways by the Canadian team (either through under-hit/mis-hit passes or simply having it stolen away) went beyond surprising -- at times, it was shocking. Now, if it were one or two players we could lay individual blame, but it was so systemic that I can't help feeling it was the massively waterlogged pitch that was at fault. Even so, France seemed to keep things moving fairly briskly, for the most part. Am I being too generous? Let me know in the comments.
- Kaylyn Kyle is always full of surprises, isn't she? While she's often on the outside looking in when it comes to the Canadian midfield, she was at the epicentre of a rejuvenated Canadian attack in the game's final 25 minutes, after she came on as a sub. She got three chances at goal (forcing one good save and a goal-line clearance) before being the one to break French hearts in 2013.
- The much-hyped (mostly by me) attacking triumvirate of Christine Sinclair, Adriana Leon and Jonelle Filigno didn't quite live up to expectations (mostly mine) during their time together in the first half -- although the Canadian side was hardly acquitting themselves well at all in the opening 45. Tiffany Cameron brought some good energy when she came on to start the second half, though I'm certain we haven't seen the last of that Cerberus-like trio.
Getting a result is always a good thing, of course. And much like after Diana Matheson's winner last summer, there's an element of catharsis that follows seeing your team earn a result (even without any shiny medals at stake). Still, while Kyle's goal has boosted all of our moods for the day, and the Canadian girls surely left the stadium in Nice with smiles on their faces, none of us can pretend that a drawn scoreline represents parity between these two sides on the grander stage.
Herdman has said repeatedly that he wants his team playing against the toughest competition possible, so that they can learn as many lessons as possible for when the games matter most. To that end, Canada is in the midst of an especially educational couple of months, heading into a friendly against England on Sunday before taking on the #1-ranked Americans and the #2-ranked Germans in June.
So sure, Kyle's goal was a nice parallel to Matheson's iconic strike at the Olympics. But the Canadian team can't count on against-the-run-of-play last-minute goals forever. They can't count on Christine Sinclair's presence forever. And they can't count on lingering benefits from being an early adopter of the women's game forever.
Because any team that wants to have ongoing success in the international game needs to learn how to expect the unexpected. Over the course of these four games, we'll get a good glimpse of just how ready Canada truly is.