It was a gritty performance, but neither Canada nor Colombia were able to find the back of the net in a 0-0 draw in a tenacious friendly.
While Sports Illustrated Stadium in New Jersey may have been picked as a neutral venue for these two countries, the vocal nature of Colombian fans made it anything but. The stadium was overwhelmingly painted in yellow shirts, and there were roars every time Colombia moved the ball into their attacking third.
And early on, they had much to cheer about. Colombia dictated the pace of the play, especially in the midfield. Ismaël Koné, in particular, had difficulty keeping up with Colombia’s midfielders, and the Sassuolo man was continuously dispossessed over the first 15 minutes.
However, Canada grew into the match, finding their structure and stringing passes together as they pushed forward. The positive change in play was nearly awarded as Tajon Buchanan unleashed a belter of a shot from distance in the 28th minute, almost catching Alvaro Montero sleeping.
But the Colombian keeper showed his brilliance with an excellent gloved save.
Canada continued to battle throughout the second half. They looked the more likely side to score for large parts of the half, but Colombia showed their expertise in playing out of tight spaces.
Luis Díaz had a great attempt in the 57th minute that had Dayne St. Clair beat, but he was unable to keep the ball on the right side of the post. Buchanan answered with a chance of his own a few minutes later, but the ball was sent high.
Jonathan David thought he had the lone winning goal in the 76th minute. Jacob Shaffelburg was a touch late in coming back from an offside position as he flicked the ball on with his head to David.
And while David’s finish was good, the Nashville SC man was rightfully caught.
Colombia came back to life towards the end, missing an absolute sitter in the 88th minute. Another great opportunity just into stoppage time was taken away by a brilliant tackle from Richie Laryea.
Neither side was able to find anything with the remaining time and had to settle for the nil-all draw.
Canada keeps calm head in opposition cauldron
With a dominant display of Colombia shirts, one could have thought this match was taking place further away. And while Canada has faced difficult tests before in terms of geography and environment, they have often lost their heads.
Tonight was different. Canada had reason to feel hard done by with some of the calls. Only Canada was on the receiving end of some flashes of yellow, three to be exact.
But while in the past, they may have let the game and refereeing get to them, Canada remained calm and in the game.
It was a nice turnaround and a valuable lesson to learn heading into next year’s World Cup, where they will face opposition from many different footballing cultures.
Next up
It is more South American tests for Canada in the November international window. On Nov. 13, they face Ecuador, and on Nov. 18, they play Venezuela.
