Bim Pepple starred in a big win for Plymouth Argyle, while it was heartbreak for Simi Awujo and Manchester United, and Evelyne Viens helped Roma pick up an important three points. Here’s a look at Canadians in Europe over the weekend.
Bim Pepple, Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle’s League One playoff hopes might be distant, but they are very much still alive. Argyle has posted three wins on the trot including an eye-opening throttling of leaders Cardiff City at Home Park this past Saturday. Key to the Pilgrims’ revival has been the play of forward Bim Pepple.
Born in Kettering, England, the 23-year-old Pepple spent his childhood in Calgary. He signed his first pro deal in 2019 with Canadian Premier League side Calvary FC where he would score six goals in 22 appearances across three seasons. His strong play led to a call-up to the Canada U-17 side.
Pepple would returning to Europe in 2022, joining Luton Town where he would never actually get into the team. Pepple was loaned out on five occasions over three seasons before finally joining the Pilgrims on a permanent this past summer. Pepple quickly established himself in the squad managed by former Manchester United and England midfielder Tom Cleverley.
Relegated from the Championship last season, Argyle has steadied the ship with this recent winning run with the Bluebirds victory on Saturday the most impressive of the bunch. The hosts opened the scoring just before the half-hour mark with Pepple playing a key role. Joe Edwards came through midfield and sent a pass into Peppble, who deftly redirected for Lorent Tolaj. Tolaj ran into the box and volleyed past Nathan Trott to make it 1-0 in the 28th.
Only three minutes later, the Pilgrims were two up thanks to Pepple, just after Ollie Tanner failed to equalize when he rang a shot off of the post. With Cardiff looking to immediately answer, Edwards broke the other way, streaking down the left. He sent in a fine ball into the area for Pepple, who thundered home with his right foot to make it 2-0 in the 31st.
The visitors answered back almost immediately after the restart. Perry Ng sent a deep ball down the right for Tanner, who shook off Wes Harding and ran on goal. He spotted the run of Omari Kellyman, who dragged his shot past Conor Hazard to pulled Cardiff within one at 2-1 in the 33rd.
After, perhaps, being at fault on the Bluebirds goal by overcommitting on the initial ball into the Pilgrims’ half, Harding made up for it only minutes later. With Argyle maintaining possession in the Cardiff half, Harding swung a deep ball to the far post for Pepple to reach with a leaping header for his second goal of the match in the 34th. The goal was Pepple’s ninth on the season and would prove to be the winning marker in what ended up being a 5-2 victory for Argyle.
The win jumped the Pilgrims into 11th on 46 points through 33 matches, but more importantly, it kept them in shouting distance of Huddersfield Town in sixth and in the final playoff spot. The Terriers sit on 52 points, having played one more game. Argyle returns to action on Tuesday with a visit to Luton Town in a League Trophy quarter-final tie. Pepple and the Pilgrims are next in league play on Saturday with a visit to second-from-bottom Rotherham.
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Simi Awujo, Manchester United
It was more of the same for Simi Awujo and Manchester United in the FA Cup Round of 16 in a rematch of last year’s final with Marc Skinner’s Red Devils visiting holders Chelsea. In last spring’s match at Wembley, the Blues were 3-0 winners on a brace from Sandy Baltimore and a goal from Catarina Macario. While the scoreline was different on Sunday, the heartbreak was just the same.
United headed into the match coming off of a 2-0 win over Atletico in the second leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie. Winning 5-0 on aggregate, United heads to the quarters for the first time ever. The Red Devils now move on to take on Bayern in the last eight, a team with whom the men’s side has a great deal of history.
The Champions League hangover was evident for United in the early stages at Kingsmeadow with Chelsea firmly on the front foot. United States goalkeeper Phallon Joyce-Tullis made a pair of good saves in the first half, denying international teammate Alyssa Thompson at the near post before an absolutely sensational diving stop on Scotland midfielder Erin Cuthbert only minutes later. Cuthbert was in disbelief that her effort was turned away. Soon after, Lauren James was denied by Tullis-Joyce’s trailing hand from close-range for a third dynamite stop in the early going.
The match would remain scoreless until the 78th. Ellie Carpenter launched a deep ball into the United area that was headed down by Veerle Buurman towards substitute Sam Kerr at the far post. The Australia star did well to make contact with her left foot to volley off of the post and in to make it 1-0 for the hosts.
United would answer back only three minutes later through Canada’s Awujo. From a Maya La Tissier free kick, the ball pinged around the area before falling to the feet of Awujo. With her back to goal, she spun around, turned inside Lucy Bronze and quickly fired to make it 1-1 in the 81st.
The Awujo goal forced extra time where the hosts would find the precious goal to move on. From a Chelsea corner, a Buurman header forced a fine diving save from Tullis-Joyce, but she could only parry into the path of Naomi Girma. The USWNT centre-back and the Blues’ record signing slotted home for her first goal in a Chelsea shirt in the 99th to earn a 2-1 victory. The Blues will now learn their opponents for the last eight later on Monday.
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Evelyne Viens, Roma
With only eight matches to play in the Serie A Femminile season, it was not unfair to say that Sunday’s match that saw a meeting between the top two teams could be a title decider. L’Ancienne-Lorette, Que.’s Evelyne Viens and leaders Roma paid a visit to Inter. Roma held a three-point lead over Inter as play began.
After over a half-hour of both teams content with trying their luck from distance, the only goal of the contest came in the 33rd. As Roma began to buzz around the Inter box, Ivana Andres attempted to clear the danger, but her effort went only as far as Giulia Dragoni on the edge of the area. Cecilia Ran Runarsdottir managed to parry away Dragoni’s low drive, but it fell directly to Viens to poke home to make it 1-0. Despite Inter’s pleas for an offside, none was coming.
The goal for Viens, now in her third season at Roma, was her second on the campaign. She also has six assists. Viens is looking for a second league title in three seasons after claiming one in her first year with Roma before a third-place finish last year.
Now six points clear of Inter with seven matches remaining, Roma will immediately take on the Nerazzurri in a rematch, this time in Coppa Italia action on Thursday. Their next league match comes on Sunday with a visit from Fiorentina.
