Canada 4 — Curacao 0 | Alphonso Davies highlights his comeback with two goals

(Vancouver) The Canadian men’s soccer team put an eventful week behind them with a convincing 4-0 victory over Curaçao on Thursday in the CONCACAF Nations League.

The win followed a week in which the players missed two training sessions and declined to play a friendly against Panama in Vancouver due to a contract dispute.

Canada, ranked 38^e in the world, however, did not seem to have much rust to remove, putting pressure on Curaçao from the second minute of play.

Alphonso Davies scored twice, the first from a first-half penalty, as Steven Vitoria and Lucas Cavallini threaded the needle once each.

It was a quiet night for Canadian goalkeeper Milan Borjan, who didn’t face any shots on target. Eloy Room saved five balls for Curaçao.

Canada will continue its Nations League game on Monday when it takes on Honduras in San Pedro Sula.

The Canadians sealed the game in the 86^e minute.

Sam Adekugbe served a pass to Cavallini, who redirected the ball into the net. The Vancouver Whitecaps forward had arrived in the game at the 76^e minute.

Canada controlled play for the majority of the first half, cornering Curaçao in their territory for long stretches. John Herdman’s men outshot the visitors 15-2 in shots and 5-0 in shots on target.

Davies opened the scoring in the 27th^e minute of play, after being jostled in the penalty area by Jurien Gaari. The 21-year-old star player took the penalty himself and he hit the target with a low shot into the left corner.

Davies was playing his first game at BC Place since October 2018, when he wore the colors of the Whitecaps. The Vancouver troop then made a transfer to the German giants Bayern Munich for the record sum of 22 million US.

Davies set up Canada’s second goal of the night on a corner kick late in the first half. The ball was saved by Room, but Jonathan David seized the return and he found Vitoria’s header to make it 2-0.

In the second half, Davies passed the ball to Richie Laryea, who passed it to Davies. The latter hit the mark in the 74^e minute for his second goal of the evening.