Canada's coach Bev Priestman reacted to her team's early exit from the ongoing FIFA Women's World Cup.
The Tokyo Olympics gold medalist team lost to hosts Australia by 4-0 in their last match to get eliminated from the mega event.
"When we went into Tokyo I'm not sure anybody thought we would win an Olympic gold medal. I did. The team did. But I'm not sure anybody (else) did," a shell-shocked Priestman told reporters.
"You're coming into a very difficult group (B at the World Cup). There's pressure. And you've got that target on your back. That's new territory. And I think that's the difference ... it's belief and pressure for me," she added.
Canada bowed out of the Women's World Cup in the group stage for the first time in 12 years.
"At halftime (with Canada trailing 2-0) I told them, 'I believe. Do you believe?'" Priestman said. "We have to stick together, we have to believe.
"My (four) substitutions at halftime were trying to be brave and bold and chucking the kitchen sink at it, and that's all we tried to do.
"We had a game-plan, and you can talk about Xs and Os, but it's behaviours within that. It's behaviours of getting up to the ball, playing forward, running at players.
"I keep saying the word but 'belief,' and the group I've got in front of me are world class players and can be a world class team. We just need to believe it."