Canada Soccer’s Men’s National Team earned three points in their opening match of the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup with a 4:1 victory over Martinique. Cyle Larin, Jonathan Osorio, Stephen Eustáquio, and Theo Corbeanu scored for Canada. With the win, Canada set a Men’s National Team record with their seventh win in a row, all in 2021 since the start of FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in March.
All of Canada’s matches at the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup
\u200bwill be broadcast live on OneSoccer, with Canada’s next match against Haiti on
\u200bThursday 15 July at 19.30 ET / 16.30 PT (18.30 local). Canada wraps up the
\u200bgroup phase on Sunday 18 July against the hosts USA, with only the top-two
\u200bteams from the group advancing to the Concacaf Gold Cup Quarterfinals. Fans
\u200bwill find extended coverage across Canada Soccer’s digital channels on Twitter,
\u200bInstagram, Facebook and YouTube featuring the hashtag #CANMNT.
“It’s going to be tight in this group. Everyone
\u200bwants to win the group to control their destiny for the next round. To get a +3
\u200b(goal differential) tonight, I’m happy about that,” said John Herdman, Men’s
\u200bNational Team Head Coach. “I’m really pleased we got that test early with the
\u200bresponse straight back on task. At this stage of the tournament, we needed
\u200bsomething like that.”
HIGHLIGHTS from #CANMNT 4:1 MTQ #GoldCup21 pic.twitter.com/xQPkiYGp47 — Canada Soccer (@CanadaSoccerEN) July 12, 2021
Canada was aggressive early with Tajon Buchanan pushing
\u200bforward before he was taken down in an advanced position leading to an early
\u200bdangerous free kick in the 3’. Hoilett put a great ball in that was cleared by
\u200bMartinique.
Mark-Anthony Kaye’s back pass attempt was
\u200bintercepted by Sebastien Cretinoir in the 10’. Cretinoir played in to Emanuelle
\u200bRiviere whose touch eventually found the side netting despite a sliding attempt
\u200bto clear by Kaye.
Canada equalized at 1:1 in the 16’ on a corner
\u200bkick. Junior Hoilett put a perfectly weighted ball onto Cyle Larin’s right boot
\u200bwho buried it on the volley.
Buchanan got to the goal line in the 20’. His ball
\u200bback into the box to Jonathan Osorio was re-directed by Osario just wide of
\u200bMartinique keeper Gilles to give Canada the 2:1 lead.
Buchanan was at it again with another drive down
\u200bthe left side in the 27’. Into the box, he played it to Hoilett, who turned his
\u200bback on goal and played it back to goalscorer Eustáquio. The Canadian
\u200bmidfielder Eustáquio fired his low shot to earn his first international goal
\u200band give Canada a 3:1 lead.
Steven Vitória had another excellent goal scoring
\u200bopportunity when he fired a shot from outside the box that was tipped over the
\u200bbar by the Martinique goalkeeper in the 34’.
Into the second half, Canada had two chances in the
\u200b61’ when Buchanan hit a volley into the ground and then off a defender, which went
\u200bout for a corner. Kaye had a second chance on the corner.
Richie Laryea showed his defensive qualities in
\u200btransition in the 72’ sprinting back to take the ball away after Martinique
\u200bfound themselves in possession on the transition.
Second half substitute Theo Corbeanu had a free kick go just wide of the post on a free kick from just outside the 18 in the 87’. Just two minutes later, in the 89’, Corbeanu finished at the back post on a brilliant ball through from second half substitute Lucas Cavallini after picking up the back pass by Martinique to give Canada the 4:1 victory.
“We started off a bit slow, conceded an early goal but
\u200breacted well as a team,” said Junior Hoilett. “We have to keep the same intensity
\u200bgoing into the next game, keep pushing for goals and get a clean sheet.”
Canada’s starting XI featured Maxime Crépeau in
\u200bgoal, Alistair Johnston at right back, Steven Vitória at centre back, Kamal
\u200bMiller at left back, and Tajon Buchanan, Richie Laryea, Stephen Eustáquio,
\u200bMark-Anthony Kaye, Jonathan Osorio, Cyle Larin and Junior Hoilett. Head Coach
\u200bJohn Herdman replaced Hoilett and Kaye with Lucas Cavallini and Samuel Piette
\u200b(63’), Larin and Eustáquio with Theo Corbeanu and Liam
\u200bFraser (74’), and Miller with Doneil Henry (77’).
CANADA SOCCER’S MEN’S NATIONAL TEAM PROGRAM
Canada Soccer’s Men’s National Team are two-time
\u200bConcacaf champions, previously winning the 1985 Concacaf Championship and 2000
\u200bConcacaf Gold Cup. This year marks Canada’s 15th participation at the Concacaf
\u200bGold Cup since 1991. Along with their first-place finish in 2000, Canada
\u200breached the Semifinals in 2002 and 2007. Across the past five years from 2017
\u200bto 2021, Canada are one of only four nations that have finished top-six across
\u200ball three Concacaf major tournaments: fifth place in Concacaf Nations League A
\u200band sixth place at both the 2017 and 2019 Concacaf Gold Cups.
The 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup provides Canada’s
\u200bexciting young team with an important opportunity to build momentum and gain
\u200bvaluable experience while playing meaningful matches against some of the top
\u200bnations in the region ahead of the Concacaf Final Round in FIFA World Cup
\u200bQualifiers.