After 343 minutes in charge, Canada head coach Jesse Marsch finally saw one of his players score a goal. And it was a crucial game-winning tally at that.
Amid an excessive heat advisory for Kansas City, Canada found a way to hold on and earn a crucial win in a major international tournament thanks to a second-half goal from Jonathan David against a 10-man Peru.
But it wasn’t easy.
The sun beat down on the field at Children’s Mercy Park, its impact most noticeable when assistant referee Humberto Panjoj appeared to collapse leading to a stoppage in play during added time in the first half of the Group A match. Stretchers were immediately brought toward the linesman before he was treated by medical personnel, taken from the field and replaced after halftime.
Temperatures were also high among the players and after a controversial no-call on a potential head butt incident in the first half, Peru was punished in the second half when defender Miguel Araujo was shown a red card for his challenge on Jacob Shaffelburg.
The Athletic‘s Joshua Kloke shares his takeaways from the match…
What happened to the linesman at the end of the first half?
The heat has been unrelenting all week in Kansas City, with temperatures consistently hovering in and around 100 degrees. There has been a heat advisory in the city throughout the day as well.
Late in the first half during added time, as Canada was about to take a free kick in Peru’s half, linesman Humberto Panjoj collapsed onto the field. Canada goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau was the first to notice and sprinted to Panjoj. As he did, Crepeau yelled to referee Mario Escobar for his attention. The game was paused as stretchers were immediately brought towards Panjoj.
Approximately five minutes after collapsing, Panjoj was stretchered off the field.
For the majority of the first half, approximately two-thirds of the pitch was covered in shade by the stadium’s curved coverage. Yet the section not covered by shade was where Panjoj had to patrol before collapsing.
At halftime, nearly every fan seated in the west side of the stadium moved towards shaded areas of the stadium as the crowd was about half full.
How did Canada’s breakthrough goal happen?
The difference, at least on paper, between Canada and Peru is the individual attacking quality Canada have. Many of their best attackers play in Europe’s top leagues. But throughout most of the game, many of Canada’s best players struggled to make an impact on the game.
That is until one of Canada’s best weapons – their speed – tilted the game in their favour.
On a quick counter-attack, pacey winger Shaffelburg, a halftime substitution, collected a pass and turned on the jets. By not overthinking things and taking the ball directly towards the goal from just inside the opposition half, Peru was caught flat footed.
As he usually does, Jonathan David timed his run perfectly to get himself open for Shaffelburg’s lengthy pass. After a few smart touches, David then pushed a shot past Peru goalkeeper Pedro Gallese for the first goal under Marsch.
The goal was David’s 27th for Canada in his 50th appearance. That pushes him within two goals of Cyle Larin for Canada’s all-time goalscoring lead.
It always had to be David. Marsch has maintained an unyielding admiration for his forward’s soccer IQ and ability to keep a level head when the game doesn’t always unfold the way he hopes it will. David’s composure was the difference and a reminder of why he’s currently being sought after in the Premier League.
How did refereeing decisions impact the game?
Referee Mario Escobar had his hands full in a game that promised physicality long before kickoff. Peru coach Jorge Fossati said of Canada’s performance against Argentina that there was a “thin line between strength and violence,” which felt like an attempt to earn favour with Escobar and start practicing the dark arts a little earlier than necessary. Yet on the pitch, it was Fossati’s side who leaned into the physical side far too heavily. How, for example, did Escobar not give Peru midfielder Marcos Lopez a straight red for headbutting Canada defender Alistair Johnston in the first half? The question boggles the mind when you add that the play was reviewed by VAR as well.
Peru didn’t let up with their overtly chippy play in the second half as the heat persisted and tensions rose. But Escobar finally got it right when VAR reviewed Miguel Araujo’s aggressive foul on Canada’s Shaffelburg. A second yellow was awarded for the foul and Peru were sent down to 10 men. Full credit to the Canadian side for keeping their cool as the foul took place immediately in front of their bench. Jesse Marsch stressed ahead of the game how important discipline would be to his side. They were the only team to practice it in the oppressive Kansas City heat.
RED CARD 🟥
Peru’s Miguel Araujo is given a red card for this challenge after review ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/FxxhiHcQA9
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 25, 2024
And yet even with the man advantage, Canada it took time for Canada to make the most of their opportunities. Canada struggled to get a hold on the game in possession and generate any kind of creativity in their build up until David’s goal. They will need to continue to create more chances to have any hope of getting out of Group A.
What does this result mean for Canada?
Canada desperately needed a win under Marsch for a variety of reasons.
First, the progress they’ve shown tactically in a short amount of time since Marsch took over in May has been impressive. But that progress came without results – or a goal scored for that matter – and this win is a reminder of what can come from the positive steps Canada is making. Tournament soccer is unforgiving, with just three matches afforded to get a result.
The confidence Canada felt after holding France to a 0-0 draw in a June friendly was good, but getting a result in a competitive game is another matter. They showed composure as tempers flared and as Peru tried to manipulate the game.
This result came against a team ranked 31st in the world by FIFA and should now be considered among the biggest wins in Canadian soccer history. Canada have long believed that with the talent at their disposal, they should be considered in the same echelon as teams such as Peru. They now have a result to prove it.
Now, Canada can feel even more confident heading into their final group stage match against Chile. With their first win in a major tournament in a generation under their belt, Canada find themselves in a decent spot to advance.
What did the managers say?
We’ll bring you quotes from Canada coach Jesse Marsch and Peru coach Jorge Fossati once they speak after the match.
What’s next for each team?
Argentina vs. Peru — Saturday, June 29 at 8:00 p.m. ET/Saturday, June 30 at 1:00 a.m. UK (Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, Florida)
Canada vs. Chile — Saturday, June 29 at 8:00 p.m. ET/Saturday, June 30 at 1:00 a.m. UK (Inter & Co Stadium, Orlando, Florida)
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(Top photo: Hector Vivas/Getty Images)
