The three points are all that matters.
Canada's first game at the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup won't be remembered as a classic, but in winning 1-0 over Cameroon, the Canadians established a style and mentality that could set the tone for the rest of their tournament.
Facing a tough, physical opponent looking to hit on the counterattack, coach Kenneth Heiner-Møller had Canada playing stout defence while also dominating possession and looking dangerous at times.
MORE: Buchanan header the difference as Canadians take Group E opener
With three points in hand after the opening match, Canada can breathe a little bit easier knowing that another win from its final two group stage games will virtually guarantee advancement to the knockout stage.
With that in mind, here are three takeaways from Monday's match:
Buchanan's influence
Kadeisha Buchanan had to miss Canada's send-off match last month in Toronto because her club team was winning the UEFA Women's Champions League final that same day, and while the Canadians were fine without the imposing central defender for that exhibition (they defeated Mexico 3-0), her influence was obvious against the Cameroonians.
Aside from scoring the game's only goal — off a powerful back-post run on a corner kick — Buchanan was often relied upon to snuff out speedy Cameroonian counterattacks, and she was equal to each challenge.
If Canada is going to remain defensively sound, a lot of that responsibility will lie on the 23-year-old's shoulders.
Kadeisha Buchanan brought out the basketball celebration after scoring Canada's first goal at the #FIFAWWC@Raptors @CanadaSoccerEN pic.twitter.com/0MncmsqZyv
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) June 10, 2019
Her ability to push forward on set pieces is pretty handy, too.
Using the flanks
When Cameroon wasn't looking to push the pace on counterattacks, it was sitting with 11 players behind the ball. The ultra-defensive tactic dared the Canadians to try to get through a congested block, forcing play to the wide areas.
Fortunately for Canada, width isn't much of a problem.
Led by fullbacks Allysha Chapman and Ashley Lawrence, the Canadians found success along the touchlines by either cutting in to combine with teammates or hitting crosses into dangerous areas. While it didn't result in a goal on Monday, some of Canada's best open-play chances came from the flanks.
Physicality
The Cameroonians set the tone early on with several hard challenges on Canadian players, intending to disrupt Canada's expected possession dominance. It didn't really work though, as the Canadians hit back with equal force at times.
This led to some very scrappy play at certain points of the game, but Canada wasn't pulled out of its preferred style as the players kept their shape and maintained a 74 percent possession advantage throughout the game.