Sportswriting (USA), 15 Jun. The Canadian national team, with goals from Jonathan David and Alfonso Davies, defeated the Panamanian national team on Thursday in Las Vegas 0-2 in the CONCACAF Nations League semi-finals, and will play the title on Sunday against the winner of the duel between Mexico and. United State.
Canada will thus play its first CONCACAF final since being declared Gold Cup champion in 2000.
Panama, Gold Cup runners-up in 2005 and 2013, will only qualify as third in the Nations League in a consolation match to be played on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
The Canadians, a fine shooter this Thursday (two goals from three shots on goal) and eager to debate the traditional regional supremacy of Mexico and the United States, did not have their superstar, Alfonso Davies, arriving feeling uncomfortable from the start of the game.
The Bayern Munich player entered the field in the second half and was responsible for making it 0-2 with a great goal.
Canada event
With a lack of crowd flow in the game that started at 4:00 pm, Panama jumped into the game’s city stadium in an attacking style, the game became open and in the first quarter the clock both teams visited the goals.
However, Canada made it count by scoring on their first dangerous action.
Kamal Miller, from the left wing, made a very good pass to the back of the Panama defense from five to David, who, in the 25th minute, located perfectly under the legs of Orlando Mosquera who could do nothing.
Far from collapsing, Thomas Christiansen’s men responded impressively to this Canadian goal.
And so, Panama tied it up three times in five minutes with a deflected header from Edgar Yoel Barcenas, a powerful shot from the edge of Ismael Diaz and, above all, a volley of direct free-kick from Fidel Escobar that put the veteran Canadian goalkeeper Milan in the lot. out of trouble.
Despite the fact that little by little they found a way to damage offense, Panama struggled in the first half on defense with a line of five that was very static and was prone to constant diagonals and long passes into the gap from Canada.
Already at the start of the second half, Canal’s side tried to open up an increasingly stalled game and came close to smashing a fine shot from the center of Diaz’s area after a looping play.
The answer came with a header from Kyle Larraine, after a fine right-wing cross from Tajon Buchanan, which was saved by Mosquera when Canada was already on the score.
Davies’ entry with half an hour to go energized a Canadian team that had at times been very conservative.
So much so that, practically in his first tackle, the Bayern Munich player sent the ball into the net with a superb shot into the corner after the many passes behind the Panamanian defense, this time with David’s permission.
Since then, at the end of the match, Davies, so crucial, was a headache on the left wing for Panama, who capitulated and also finished off ten men for a straight red card to Eric Davies already in the 89th minute.
– data sheet:
0- Panama: Orlando Mosquera; Michael Amir Murillo (Eric Davis, 46), Harold Cummings (Giovanni Welch, 82), Fidel Escobar, Andres Andrade, Cesar Blackman; Edgar Yoel Barcenas (Christian Martinez, m74), Anibal Godoy, Adalberto Carrasquilla (Cesar Llanes, m86), Ismael Diaz; Cecilio Waterman (Azaria Londono, a.m. 74).
Coach: Thomas Christiansen.
2 – Canada: Milan Borgan; Alistair Johnston (Scott Kennedy, 69), Kamal Miller, Stephen Vittoria; Tajon Buchanan (Jonathan Osorio, m.62), Stephen Eustachio, Ismail Kony (Atiba Hutchinson, m.75), Richie Larrea, Sam Adekogbe (Alphonso Davies, m.62); Jonathan David, Kyle Laraine (Jr. Howlett, m.75).
Coach: John Herdman.
Goals: 0-1, in the 25th minute: Jonathan David. 0-2, M69: Alphonso Davies.
Referee: Costa Rican Juan Gabriel Calderon admonishes Blackman, Carrasquilla and Godoy of Panama. He sent off Panamanian Davis for a straight red card.
Incident: CONCACAF Champions League semi-final match played at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. EFE
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