EDMONTON, Alberta — Christine Sinclair converted a penalty kick in the second minute of second-half stoppage time, giving host Canada a 1-0 victory over China on Saturday in the opening match of the Women’s World Cup.
Canada was awarded the penalty by the Ukrainian referee Natalia Rachynska after Adriana Leon was fouled by Rong Zhao. The sellout crowd of 53,058 at Commonwealth Stadium, the largest for a national team sporting even in Canada, roared when Sinclair’s shot sailed past goalkeeper Wang Fei.
The event began with FIFA, soccer’s international governing body, plagued by scandal. Sepp Blatter announced his resignation as FIFA’s president earlier last week after the United States Justice Department indicted 14 people on corruption charges related to soccer.