TORONTO — In tough conditions against a physical opponent, Canada found a way to win Tuesday.
Jonathan David's 87th-minute strike gave Canada a scrappy 2-1 victory over Panama in a men's soccer friendly. Liam Millar set up the goal with a cross that David acrobatically knocked in past Panama goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera for his 30th career goal before an announced crowd of 23,315 at BMO Field.
The 38th-ranked Canadians dominated the first half but found themselves in a contest with No. 37 Panama in the second half.
"It was nice to see that when the game wasn't so easy that we rose to the challenge," said Canada coach Jesse Marsch.
"We're resilient. We don't give up easy," added Canada captain Alphonso Davies.
The game was played in cool, windy conditions on a bumpy pitch that is home to both Toronto FC and the Toronto Argonauts.
Cyle Larin gave Canada the lead in the 44th minute with his 30th goal. But Panama substitute Jose Fajardo tied it in the 69th minute, put in behind the defence and chipping it past goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau after Canada lost the ball in midfield.
Larin and David top the Canadian men's scoring list.
It was a game long on remonstration and short on inspiration, save for David's winner. And it ended in chippy fashion with emotions running high.
Canada led the way in a scrappy first half, moving the ball around and trying to probe the Panama defence. The visitors looked to defend and counterattack.
While the Canadians turned the screw as halftime approached, their finishing lacked crispness and it took a Panama blunder to produce a goal.
That came courtesy of the Canadian press. Panama captain Anibal Godoy, under pressure from Stephen Eustaquio and David, gave the ball away as the Central Americans tried to play it out from a goal kick. Instead the ball went to Ali Ahmed, who found an unmarked Larin in front of goal for an easy finish.
Panama offered more in the second half with Canada looking sloppy at times. Mosquera made a spectacular save to parry substitute Theo Bair's header in the 84th minute to preserve the tie.
The game, Marsch's first on Canadian soil as Canada coach, was a warm-up for CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal play, with Canada hosting the second leg of the tie scheduled for Nov. 19 at BMO Field.
Panama was coming off a 2-0 weekend loss to the 18th-ranked U.S. on Saturday in Austin, Texas in Mauricio Pochettino's debut as American coach.
Canada, which could not find another opponent for this international window, last played in September when it drew 0-0 with No. 17 Mexico and defeated the U.S. 2-1. Before that, it finished fourth at this summer's Copa America after losing to No. 11 Uruguay in a penalty shootout.
Panama, which beat the U.S. 2-1 in group play, made it to the Copa quarterfinals before losing 5-0 to ninth-ranked Colombia.
Canada's starting 11 came into Tuesday's match with a combined 385 caps, with only Ahmed (nine caps) and Mathieu Choiniere (seven caps) with single-digit appearances.
It was a cool, windy 9 C, feeling like 6 C at kickoff, with some occasional light rain at BMO Field. The Panama players scored points for shedding their warm-up jackets and giving them to the young mascots lined up in front of them during the pre-game anthems.
Panama scored in the eighth minute, on a Abdiel Ayarza shot that deflected in off a Canadian defender from a corner, but the goal was negated for offside.
American referee Tori Penso was kept busy, keeping a lid on things in a first half that saw Canada — with the wind at its back — have 57 per cent possession and outshoot Panama 7-2 (4-0 in shots on target).
Marsch sent on Jonathan Osorio, Millar, Theo Bair, Nathan Saliba, Joel Waterman and Kwasi Poku (for his first cap) in the second half.
Defender Moise Bombito was a standout for Canada, with the crowd chanting his name at one point.
"A surreal moment, for real, because I grew up watching Canada my whole life," said the 24-year-old Montreal native who plays for Nice in France. "And to be able to represent my country in front of 23,000-plus fans, some of them chanting my name, was a really surreal moment which I will cherish for a long time."
Canada improved to 6-2-6 all-time against Panama and 3-3-5 under Marsch, with one of those ties turning into the shootout loss to Uruguay and another a shootout win over No. 40 Venezuela, also at Copa America.
They had not played at home since a 3-2 loss to Jamaica last November in the return leg of the Nations League quarterfinal, before an announced crowd of 17,588 at BMO Field.
That defeat snapped a record 17-game home undefeated run (15-0-2) for Canada — since a 3-0 loss to Mexico in March 2016 in a World Cup qualifier at Vancouver — and a 22-game unbeaten run at BMO Field (15-0-7), dating back to a 2-0 loss to Peru in September 2010.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 15, 2024.
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press