Canada wanted to play in the cold Edmonton. He won his bet by brilliantly defending his fortress, winning 1-0 against Costa Rica on Friday night. This victory places him third in the CONCACAF Octagon, and increasingly confirms the ultimate destination of this journey: Qatar, in 2022.
The top three in the standings qualify directly for the World Cup. The fourth must go through a play-off.
Jonathan David made sure to warm up the many fans gathered at Commonwealth Stadium at the 57e minute. The striker hit the mark by grabbing a return to the box to make it 1-0.
You should have seen the players, led by Canadian talisman Alphonso Davies, rush to the corner of the pitch to celebrate with the fans. On the sidelines, coach John Herdman instinctively turned to the stands, roaring with his arms raised. This goal, they wanted it.
And they had been looking for him. Moments earlier, Tajon Buchanan had come close to scoring another iconic goal, after Davies’s against Panama last October. After lavishly stealing the ball in Costa Rica in midfield, Buchanan followed the play into the penalty area. His attempt at a bicycle was spectacular. His shot, back to goal and from the outside of the right foot, hit the crossbar.
These occasions confirmed the notable ascendancy that the maple leaf had taken after the break. We felt him come out of the locker room even more resolute. The game was more open. There were more successes.
Canada had chosen the conditions for this match. We hoped that the cold, in particular, would disconcert the Costa Ricans. Edmonton is also the adopted city of Alphonso Davies. If he sometimes tried to do a little too much, it was still the latter who best animated the offensive game of his team.
The visitors arrived in Edmonton with a clear game plan: to defend effectively and break the rhythm of Canada.
This tactic mostly worked in the first half. It is no coincidence that Costa Rica’s best chance in this match came with a stopped phase of play, at the 35e. A free kick in the axis struck with force and precision forced Milan Borjan to make a very nice save.
In the other games on Friday night, Panama made a spectacular comeback against Honduras. The Panamanians lost 2-0 in the 77e before scoring 3 goals at the end of 2e period to win 3-2. Panama thus consolidated its fourth rank in the Octagon.
The United States won 2-0 over Mexico in Cincinnati, placing them in first place after 7 games. They are tied with El Tri with 14 points.
It is precisely Mexico that Canada will face Tuesday night, still in Edmonton. The maple leaf had managed the feat of squeezing a point from the Mexicans on October 7 at the legendary Azteca stadium, with a 1-1 draw.
The men in red are unbeaten in seven games, with three wins and four draws. They are only one point behind the Americans and Mexicans in third, with 13. There are still seven games to go.