Canadian men blank Panama to advance to CONCACAF Nations League final in Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS –
Goals from Jonathan David and Alphonso Davies took the Canadian men to less than one win of their first trophy in 23 years with a 2-0 victory over Panama in the CONCACAF Nations League semi-final on Thursday.
Canada, ranked 47th in the world, will play the final against 13th-ranked USA or No. 15 Mexico on Sunday with a prize pool of approximately $1 million at stake.
The Canadians are looking for their first trophy since winning the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2000.
David put Canada ahead in the 25th minute, thanks to a perfect pass from Kamal Miller that cut open the Panama defense. David saw the opening and pointed to where he wanted the ball as he ran to space.
Miller delivered and the ball landed at David’s feet. The Lille striker did not miss a step and coolly placed it between the legs of Panama goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera for his 25th goal in 41 Canadian games.
Minutes after starting the match, Davies made it 2–0 in the 69th minute, cutting into the penalty area and making a powerful shot at the near post for his 14th Canadian goal in 40 appearances. The Bayern Munich star was a dangerous man during his cameo and he was faster than the Panama defenders.
It was the first goals Panama had conceded in the competition.
Tempers flared as the clock ran out and Panama were reduced to 10 men in the 89th minute when substitute Eric Davis was sent off for violent conduct. Costa Rican umpire Juan Gabriel Calderon called after watching play on the fieldside monitor and saw Davis chasing Richie Laryea and hitting the back of the Canadian’s head with his arm.
The Canada-Panama game opened a doubleheader at Allegiant Stadium, the 65,000-capacity climate-controlled home of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders. The stadium, reportedly costing $1.9 billion, features 2,300 TVs and nearly 7,000 square feet of video card.
Goalkeeper Milan Borjan, who earned his 74th cap, captained Canada with 40-year-old Atiba Hutchinson starting on the bench alongside Davies, whose season in Germany ended prematurely due to a thigh injury sustained in a game on April 22.
Borjan recorded his 35th shutout in Canadian colors.
Seven of Thursday’s starters were also in the eleven starting line-ups for Canada’s final World Cup game against Morocco in Qatar. Three of the other four starters on Thursday were benched against Morocco, with midfielder Stephen Eustaquio suffering an injury in the World Cup group final.
Calderon let them play, setting a fast pace in the first half. Canada’s speed and accurate passing made it difficult for the Panamanians.
Canadian defender Steven Vitoria found Sam Adekugbe with a great long ball in the seventh minute, but Adekugbe swallowed his shot and the offside flag also came in.
Panama turned it around after David’s goal.
The first real chance came in the 27th minute, when Borjan deflected Ismael Diaz’s long shot. A minute later, Borjan almost missed the low, dipping free kick from outside the Canadian penalty area. The keeper reached for it with one hand and managed to contain the ball before a Panama striker could play it in.
The second half was a bit more mixed.
A fleeting header from Panama’s Edgar Barcenas went just wide in the 52nd minute. Five minutes later, Diaz had a good chance in the penalty area, but fired his shot through the legs of a defender straight at Borjan.
Mosquera made a superb one-handed save to parry Cyle Larin’s header from close range on an accurate cross from Tajon Buchanan in the 59th minute.
Davies and Jonathan Osorio came on in the 62nd minute. Scott Kennedy followed them in the 69th minute, with Hutchinson and Junior Hoilett arriving in the 76th minute as coach John Herdman wanted to rest players before Sunday.
For Hutchinson, the cap was No. 104, adding to his Canadian men’s record.
Canada entered the game having played only twice since the World Cup, closing out the Nations League group stage match in March by defeating No. 80 Honduras 4–1 and No. 88 Curaçao 2–0.
The Nations League consists of 41 teams from North and Central America and the Caribbean, divided into three levels: League A (12 teams), B (16) and C (13). The four group winners in League A advanced to the last four.
Canada (3-1-0) won Group C in League A of the Nations League, while Panama (3-0-1) topped Group B, outscoring No. 39 Costa Rica and losing Martinique by a combined 8-0. Panama defeated Costa Rica 1–0 with a goal from Jose Fajardo in the 77th minute to decide first place in the final group match.
Mexico (2-0-2) topped Group A, while the US (3-0-1) won Group D.
Canada improved to 5-2-6 against Panama, who won 1-0 the last time they met. That was in Canada’s last World Cup qualifier in March 2022, four days after the Canadian men secured their spot in Qatar.
Panama missed out on Qatar and finished fifth in the final round of World Cup qualification in CONCACAF.
After the Nations League, the Canadians turn their attention to the Gold Cup. Canada opens Group D game against a yet to be determined qualifier in Toronto on June 27 before heading to Houston to play No. 116 Guatemala and No. 165 Cuba.
The Americans won the inaugural edition of the CONCACAF Nations League in 2021, beating Mexico 3-2 on a Christian Pulisic penalty kick in extra time in Denver. Honduras came third and Costa Rica fourth.
Canada missed out on the inaugural last four, finishing second to the USA in its group on goal difference.
