Canada survived an early goal from Katie McCabe on Wednesday, clawing out of a deep hole to defeat Ireland 2-1 and boost their hopes of advancing in the Women’s World Cup.

The Canadians started cold and buried for most of the first half after McCabe scored directly from a corner kick in the fourth minute, raising the Irish hands as Olympic champion Canada looked stunned.

But Megan Connolly's own goal in stoppage time of the first half and Adriana Leon’s goal in the 53rd minute turned the tables.

After tying it 1-1, following a first half dominated by Ireland, Canadian coach Bev Priestman sent in the cavalry to start the second half, bringing in Christine Sinclair, Sophie Schmidt, and Shelina Zadorsky with Sinclair becoming the Canadian spearhead, leading the attack, with the trio having 635 international matches under their belts.

The substitutions had an immediate impact as Sinclair found Jordyn Huitema at the edge of the penalty area, Huitema turned and fired a shot on goal, forcing a brilliant save from goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan.

Schmidt then opened up the Irish defense with a perfect pass to Leon in the Irish box, and Leon split between two defenders and slid the ball past Brosnan.

The Canadians looked like a different team in the exciting and wide-open second half, with Ireland pushing in the final minutes but Canada held strong.

With four points from two matches, Canada, ranked seventh, now faces 10th-ranked Australia in their final group match on Monday in Melbourne with the potential for first place in Group B at stake, while the Matildas can secure their advancement by beating 40th-ranked Nigeria on Thursday in Brisbane.

Canada and Ireland had met only once before, with Canada winning 2-1 in the fifth-place match at the 2014 Cyprus Cup thanks to a Schmidt goal in the 90th minute.