Power forwards Jonathan David and Cyle Larin continued their rise on the international stage on Saturday and helped Canada beat Curacao 2-0 in the CONCACAF Nations League. It was a first outing for John Herdman’s men since the World Cup in Qatar.
David, whose tally of 19 goals with Lille earns him the top of the French league goalscoring charts – tied with Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappé – and Larin, who has scored five goals in eight games for Real Valladolid in the Spanish league, scored first-half goals to secure the Maple Leaf victory
This win allows Canada (2-1-0) to take first place in Group C, ahead of Honduras (2-1-0) thanks to goal differential. The Canadians host Honduras on Tuesday in Toronto to end the group stage. The winner of the group will qualify for the semi-finals of the competition, which will take place in June in Las Vegas.
A tie will suffice in Canada, 53e in the FIFA rankings, to win against Honduras, 81e in the ranking. Honduras must win.
Canada had failed to qualify for the semi-finals of the inaugural 2019-20 CONCACAF Nations League, finishing second in their group behind eventual champions USA due to goal differential .
Curacao, ranked 86ewas reduced to 10 men from the 37e minute after defender Jurien Gaaru received a second yellow card for committing a foul on Montreal’s Ismaël Koné.
The Canadians had several chances to widen the gap further, but failed to convert them. Yet the result was never in question once they took the lead.
“It was a flawless performance on the road,” said Canada coach John Herdman, who had to sit in the stands after being shown a red card in the loss to Honduras in June.
Saturday’s result also allowed Canada and Honduras to qualify for this summer’s Gold Cup if they finish in the top two of the group.
In addition to Koné, Quebecer Charles-Andreas Brym also walked the field. He replaced Larin at the 64e minute.