Canada vs. China: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 Women's Soccer World Cup

Playing on home soil in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada kicked off the 2015 Women's World Cup with a 1-0 win over China.

Canadian captain Christine Sinclair was the hero for her team, as she converted a penalty in the second minute of second-half stoppage time that proved to be the difference in the match.

The decision to award the penalty will likely be discussed heavily for the next few days. Referee Kateryna Monzul whistled for a foul after Zhao Rong brought down Adriana Leon in the 18-yard box. Replays showed that Zhao made contact with Leon around the neck, but Leon made the most of it, falling somewhat theatrically to the turf.

Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl wasn't sure whether the contact was enough to warrant the penalty:

Soccer writer Richard Whittall was just happy to see Canada given the benefit of the doubt after having experienced a few too many calls in favor of Canada's opponents in the past:

Of course, Sinclair still had to put the penalty away, and she did with a perfectly placed shot into the bottom left corner. According to ESPN Stats & Info, it's the latest anybody has scored a go-ahead goal during full time of a Women's World Cup.

ESPN's Max Bretos added that the importance of victory can't be understated:

Starting off the Women's World Cup with a drab draw certainly wouldn't have been a positive outcome for Canada, especially with the amount of pressure it's under.

Historically, hosting a World Cup hasn't exactly been advantageous for the home country. The only host nation to win the Women's World Cup was the United States in 1999. You have to go back a year prior to find the last host country to win on the men's side.

Not only does Canada carry the emotional weight inherent of any host country, but it must also live up to high expectations as one of the better teams in the tournament.

The draw certainly didn't afford the team any favors. What China might lack in individual talent, it more than makes up for with defensive solidity.

Canada coach John Herdman previously experienced firsthand the challenge that China presents, per Sportsnet's Steven Sandor:

"

When we played them in the Four Nations (BaoAn Cup) they put 11 players behind the ball and they're very good in the transition. So, it's the counterattack, it's the set piece, that China can hit you with. But we can’t anticipate what mindset they’re going to take; they may decide to press us. But what you know about China is that their goals will come from quick counterattacks. 

They're absolutely fantastic; play up, play back, play through. No matter how you try to defend against that, now and again they're going to get a couple of chances.

"

Herdman's words rang true in the first half as Canada had the lion's share of possessions but couldn't unlock the Chinese defense. The Canadians had eight shots in total, two of which were on goal. China also blocked three shots, all of which came during a frenzied sequence in the 36th minute.

Of course, as much as Canada controlled the match, China came the closest to scoring.

In the 23rd minute, Wang Lisi unleashed a free kick that caromed off both posts and somehow failed to cross the goal line. Simply put, it wasn't China's day.

Wang's match was over after only 42 minutes after China coach Hao Wei subbed her off in the 42nd minute. Soccer writer Christopher Atkins believed Hao was removing his best attacking option from the game at that point:

Not to be outdone, Canada's Josee Belanger hit a shot off the crossbar four minutes later. The game really intensified at that point for soccer writer Caitlin Murray:

Fox Soccer was also of the opinion that Belanger's thunderous effort would open the floodgates for the Canadian attack:

Instead, China remained nearly impossible to break down and fought off each of Canada's forward charges.

China's defensive strength and resiliency weren't more evident than in the 36th minute. Ashley Lawrence and Sophie Schmidt saw a succession of three shots all blocked near the goal by Chinese outfield players.

Despite all of Canada's failure to find the back of the net, Wahl still felt as though something had to give:

His prediction turned out to be accurate, but he didn't likely expect the Canadian goal to come from the penalty spot. Almost the entirety of the second half was a carbon copy of the first as Canada tried and failed to score from open play. And the longer the go-ahead goal eluded the home team, the more you felt it was never going to come.

The result is a bit harsh for China, who didn't play its best overall but defended extremely well for 90-plus minutes, only to have a somewhat questionable call decide the match. The squad will look to rebound against the Netherlands in its second match of the group stage on June 11.

It will be important for China to at least walk away from that fixture with no less than a point. Three points likely won't be enough to advance out of Group A.

Meanwhile, Canada faces off with New Zealand next, with the match also scheduled for June 11.

Perhaps nerves played a part in Saturday's match because the Canadians didn't play up to their potential. Now, with a win under their belt and their World Cup underway, they might be a little more at ease in their second match.