2024 Paris Olympics: Canadian women's soccer star Vanessa Gilles' powerful post-game rant draws mixed reactions

The emotions were flowing after the Canadian women's soccer team pulled out a miraculous win in the final moments of injury time in front of a raucous crowd against the hosts from France on Sunday.

It was Canada's second contest of the Paris Games since a drone-spying scandal embroiled the team and soccer world, and the squad's first match since head coach Bev Priestman and two assistant coaches were banned for a year by FIFA for their roles in the mess.

With Canada needing a victory to stay alive in the tournament after the six-point deduction levied by FIFA, things were looking bleak, especially after the French scored in the 42nd minute to take a 1-0 lead into halftime. Captain Jesse Fleming, however, gave Canada life with a game-tying tally in the 58th minute.

The contest looked to be heading for a draw, which would have essentially eliminated Canada from the event, until defender Vanessa Gilles buried a rebound past the French keeper in the 12th minute of injury time to secure a crazy, last-second victory for Canada.

Following her dramatic marker, the defender went on an emotional rant for the ages, defending her teammates amid the drone-spying scandal that has cast a giant shadow over the talented Canadian club.

"We've been crying. We've held each other through it and we've had absolutely nothing to lose," Gilles said of her teammates and the support they've had for one another since the scandal broke last week.

"What's given us energy is each other, is our determination, is our pride to prove people wrong. Our pride to represent this country when all this sh*t is coming out about our values, about our representation as Canadians — it's not us," Gilles added before her mic-drop moment.

"We’re not cheaters. We’re damn good players. We’re a damn good team, we're a damn good group and we proved that today.”

As expected, many Canadian soccer fans took to social media to voice their support for Gilles and the players, who have been put through the wringer since the transgressions of Canada's coaching staff came to light.

Of course, on the flip side, many replies to the posts of Gilles' post-game interview were of the negative variety, condemning the players, coaches and the federation for whatever role they played in the "cheating" scandal.

It's low-hanging fruit for the trolls, and boy oh boy did they feast.

No matter which side of the fence you're on, this story has engulfed the Olympics and the soccer world early on in Paris. On Sunday, suspended head coach Bev Priestman apologized for her role in the scandal, writing in a statement:

"I am absolutely heartbroken for the players, and I would like to apologize from the bottom of my heart for the impact this situation has had on all of them," said Priestman just hours before Canada's wild win over France.

"I know how hard they have worked following a very difficult year in 2023, and that they are a group of people who care very much about sportsmanship and integrity. As the leader of the team on the field, I want to take accountability, and I plan to fully cooperate with the investigation."

On Monday, Canada Soccer and the Canadian Olympic Committee announced they would be appealing the six-point deduction handed down by FIFA — but not the one-year suspensions given to Priestman and her two assistants.

Even if the six-point deduction stands, Canada can still miraculously advance out of Group A with a win over Colombia on Wednesday.