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Canada's Christine Sinclair becomes international soccer's top goal scorer
Canada's Christine Sinclair broke Abby Wambach's world-record total of 184 goals on Wednesday, scoring for the second time against St. Kitts and Nevis at the CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Championship.
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Canada's Christine Sinclair becomes international soccer's top goal scorer
Canada's Christine Sinclair broke Abby Wambach's world-record total of 184 goals on Wednesday, scoring for the second time against St. Kitts and Nevis at the CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Championship.
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- Neil Davidson · The Canadian Press · Posted: Jan 29, 2020 5:42 PM ET | Last Updated: 15 minutes ago
Canadian captain Christine Sinclair topped Abby Wambach's international goal record during an Olympic qualifier Wednesday against St. Kitts and Nevis. (Andy Jacobsohn/The Associated Press)
Canada captain Christine Sinclair made soccer history Wednesday, notching goals No. 184 and 185 to pass retired American Abby Wambach and become the world's all-time leading goal-scorer.
The 36-year-old from Burnaby, B.C., scored the milestone 185th goal in the 26th minute at H-E-B Park in south Texas against an outmatched St. Kitts and Nevis at the CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Championship.
Jessie Fleming stole the ball from a St. Kitts player and sent it to an onrushing Adriana Leon in space. Leon and Sinclair found themselves in a two-on-one and Leon passed the ball to an unmarked Sinclair, who took a touch with her left foot and then slotted the ball into the corner with her right foot from six yards out.
A smiling Sinclair turned, her arms outstretched, and then pumped her fists before Leon arrived to hug her. The goal celebration continued at the sideline with Sinclair rolling the ball into her teammates, who went down like bowling pins.
WATCH | Sinclair scores record-breaking goal:
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Christine Sinclair becomes the most prolific international goal scorer- 2 hours ago
- 1:10
Playback DetailsCBC Caffeine Player 17.0.1
Canadian Christine Sinclair scores the 185th goal of her career, passing American Abby Wambach on the all-time goals list. 1:10
St. Kitts, ranked 127th in the world, offered about the same type of resistance, falling 11-0 to eighth-ranked Canada in a game that was one-way traffic.
Goal No. 184 came in the seventh minute as Canada pressed from the get-go and a defender bundled Sinclair down in the penalty box.
Referee Crystal Sobers of Trinidad and Tobago pointed to the spot immediately. Unlike the round-of-16 match against Sweden at the World Cup last summer, when Sinclair ceded the spot kick to Janine Beckie, the skipper took charge.
Sinclair walked over to the goal-line to retrieve the ball, walked back to the spot and then rolled it the ball to the right of St. Kitts goalkeeper Kyra Dickinson to tie Wambach. Once again Sinclair put the ball where the keeper wasn't.
St. Kitts becomes the 41st country Sinclair has scored on. Her A to Z of goal victims ranges from Argentina to Zimbabwe.
WATCH | Canadian athletes congratulate Sinclair:
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Canadian sports legends congratulate Christine Sinclair on record-breaking achievement- 5 hours ago
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Playback DetailsCBC Caffeine Player 17.0.1
With her 185th international soccer goal, Christine Sinclair become the world record-holder for most ever international goals. Here are some Canadian sports legends sending her well wishes on the feat. 1:30
Ironically the historic goals came against a Canadian. Dickinson is from Brampton, Ont., one of a half-dozen Canadian-based players on the St. Kitts roster through family bloodlines.
Sinclair had a chance at her hat trick in first-half stoppage time but shot just high. She started the second half but gave way in the 47th minute to 18-year-old Jordyn Huitema.
It was job done for the Canadian skipper. Very well done.
Leon (12th, 26th, 43rd and 80th minutes), Ashley Lawrence (18th and 57th), Jayde Riviere (49th), Fleming (54th) and Huitema (74th) also scored for Canada in the rout.
Sadly not many were on hand to see history in the making, with the stadium virtually empty. Mexico-Jamaica was the marquee nightcap game, no doubt because of Edinburg's close proximity to the border.
Sinclair was playing in her 290th career game for Canada. Wambach, who retired in 2015, compiled her total in 255 games.
Wambach tweeted her congratulations.
"Christine: History is made. Your victory is our victory. We celebrate with you. And to every girl coming up in the Pack with a dream to achieve that which doesn't yet even exist: We believe in you. Your Pack is with you. And history awaits you."
CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani, a fellow Canadian, called Sinclair's record "an amazing feat."
"She transcends the sport and is a wonderful role model for people across the country."
Added Canada Soccer president Steven Reed: "Christine's achievements have made her an icon in Canada. She transcends the sport and is a wonderful role model for people across the country."
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted: "She did it! Christine Sinclair is now international soccer's all-time leading goal scorer. Congratulations, @sincy12 — you rock!"
The goal chase focused plenty of attention on the shy Sinclair, who was eager to get the record just to get it off the news agenda.
"Let's goooo Sincy!!!" former NBA star Steve Nash tweeted ahead of the game.
Sinclair's 185 goals are more than Cristiano Ronaldo (99) and Pele (77) combined. Ali Daei leads the men's international goal list with 109 in 149 appearances for Iran between 1993 and 2006.
Dwayne De Rosario tops Canadian men in scoring with 22 goals in 81 games, although 20-year-old Jonathan David is making waves with 11 goals in just 12 appearances.
Canada continues Group B play Saturday against No. 51 Jamaica before facing No. 26 Mexico on Feb. 4. Sinclair has 11 career goals against Jamaica and 16 against Mexico.
The top two teams in the group will then join the top two from Group A (No. 21 U.S., No. 37 Costa Rica, No. 53 Panama and No. 68 Haiti) in the semifinals in Carson, Calif. The semifinal winners book their tickets to Tokyo, representing the region covering North and Central America and the Caribbean.
The Canadians have finished runner-up to the U.S. in the last three CONCACAF Olympic qualifiers. They finished third in 2004, failing to make the Olympics after an upset loss to Mexico.
Canada is coming off back-to back bronze medals at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics. But the Canadian women have had some off performances since a disappointing round-of-16 exit at the hands of Sweden at last summer's World Cup.
