Canada paid for failing to finish out a game Saturday, conceding a 94th-minute equalizer in a 1-1 draw with Curacao in Group B play at the CONCACAF Gold Cup in Houston.
Substitute Jeremy Antonisse’s stoppage-time goal came after Canada lost possession near midfield. The ball went to Antonisse, whose low shot deflected off sliding defender Zorhan Bassong over goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair.
“We had warnings just to tell us to be a bit more careful, but they kept pushing and got the equalizer,” said Canada captain Jonathan David. “So obviously it’s frustrating to get a tie like that but we have to keep moving forward.”
It had looked like Nathan Saliba’s early goal was going to be enough for a win that would have assured No. 30 Canada of a place in the tournament quarterfinals. But with four points from two games, Canada is still in the driving seat in the pool ahead of its Group B finale Tuesday against No. 81 El Salvador in Houston.
Canada thumped No. 75 Honduras 6-0 in its opener Tuesday in Vancouver, while No. 90 Curacao played El Salvador to a scoreless draw in San Jose, Calif.
After holding a 1-0 lead for over 90 minutes, Canada gave up a stoppage-time goal to end in a 1-1 draw with Curacao.
The late strike Saturday was likely due for Curacao, which had two goals called back and a possible penalty negated in the second half.
“We’ve got to learn from these types of games,” said assistant coach Mauro Biello, who ran the sideline in place of suspended coach Jesse Marsch.
“That’s an experienced team over there. We let it get a little bit too wide open, we gave away silly fouls and they were just pumping balls into the box and we had a hard time dealing with second balls, set pieces.”
Canada finished with 52 per cent possession. Both teams had six shots with Canada holding a 3-2 edge in shots on target.
“A good result,” said 77-year-old Curacao coach Dick Advocaat, whose international managerial resume includes stints with the Netherlands, United Arab Emirates, Belgium, Russia, Serbia, South Korea and Iraq.
It was 30 CÂ at kickoff at Shell Energy Stadium and the heat and sparse crowd did little to boost the entertainment value of a contest Marsch watched from the stands.
El Salvador played Honduras in the late game at the same venue.
After round-robin play, the four group winners and four runners-up advance to the knockout stage, with quarterfinals scheduled for June 28-29, followed by the semifinals July 2 and final July 6 at Houston’s NRG Stadium.
Canada’s men’s national soccer team defeated Honduras 6-0 Tuesday night in Vancouver to open up the Gold Cup with a dominant win.
Should Canada win its group, it would face the runner-up in Group C (No. 33 Panama, No. 63 Jamaica, No. 106 Guatemala and unranked Guadeloupe) in the quarterfinals, while the second-place team in B faces the C winner.
Down 1-0, Curacao appeared to have tied it via Jurgen Locadia in the 66th minute. Taking a backheel pass from Sherel Floranus, Locadia swivelled and fired a shot past St. Clair. The goal prompted wild celebrations at the Curacao bench, which were extinguished when video review confirmed an offside in the buildup.
There was more controversy in the 83rd minute when a Curacao free kick hit Saliba’s arm in the penalty box. But it was ruled that play had halted due to a whistle from the crowd.
Costa Rican referee Juan Calderon restarted play with a dropped ball for Curacao. Roshon van Eijma scored on a header off the ensuing cross, only to have the goal ruled offside.
Saliba put Canada ahead in the ninth minute after a Jayden Nelson free kick to the left of the Curacao penalty box near the byline. A Curacao attempted clearance went to Saliba whose well-timed shot from just inside the penalty box beat a diving goalkeeper Eloy Room.
The 21-year-old midfielder, who has six Canada caps, has two career goals in 68 regular-season games for CF Montreal.
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Canada had won all three previous meetings with Curacao, including a 2-0 decision the last time they met in CONCACAF Nations League play in March 2023.
The Canadian starting 11 went into Saturday’s match with just 220 caps, with David (64) and defender Kamal Miller (48) accounting for 112 of them.
Canada had more of the ball in the first half with 55 per cent possession but could not turn that into more goals. And, at times, Curacao threatened on the counterattack.
Canadian substitute Ali Ahmed lasted just 14 minutes after coming on in the 56th minute, rolling his ankle in a scything tackle that earned Floranus a yellow card.
Saturday’s contest marks the end of Marsch’s two-game ban arising from a red card during the CONCACAF Nations League third-place game in March. But the coach remains in the spotlight, facing more disciplinary action initiated by CONCACAF from Canada’s opening game on Tuesday in Vancouver.
CONCACAF said its Disciplinary Committee is reviewing whether Canada and Marsch did not follow regulations involving suspended officials and whether offensive language was used toward CONCACAF match officials.
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Marsch made five changes to his starting lineup Saturday with Miller, Bassong, Nelson, Jacob Shaffelburg and Ismael Kone slotting in. Miller was joined in the backline by Bassong, Joel Waterman and Niko Sigur, who came into the game with 21 caps between the three of them.
Canada was without centre back Derek Cornelius, who is with the team but dealing with a lower-body injury. Moise Bombito, Marsch’s usual other starter at centre back, is recovering from wrist surgery.
Fellow defender Alistair Johnston, who arrived in camp late from his honeymoon, came on in the 70th minute.
The Curacao starting 11 featured players from clubs in Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Spain and the U.S.
