VANCOUVER – Hopes for Canada to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia have been crushed.
Although the 3-1 victory on Tuesday night against El Salvador was convincing, it wasn’t enough. Nikolas Ledgerwood, David Edgar, and Cyle Larin scored the three goals in that match, but they, as well as the other players on the Canadian team, are certainly dissatisfied because the Honduras bore draw (0-0) against Mexico also on Tuesday. This result put Canada on the third place in Group A of CONCACAF qualifying with seven points, only one point less than Honduras.
Canada was in desperate need of a win against El Salvador, but unfortunately, that was not the only condition for Canada’s men soccer team to advance to the World Cup. They also had a five-goal deficit which they needed to overcome, and the most important of all, Mexico was supposed to win against Honduras, so the chances for Canada were slim but still existent. Taken into consideration that Mexico had had nothing but wins before the last battle, Honduras managed to hold them to 0-0.
Mexico finished first in the group with 16 points, followed by Honduras, Canada, and at the last place El Salvador with no wins and only two draws. Canadians will be going home and their focus shifts to the World Cup In 2024, while the first two teams will continue to play in the next qualification stage called “the Hex”.
Canada entered the match nervously, but after the first five minutes they managed to calm down, and their dominance started. Soon enough, they created one opportunity for goal after another.
Canadian scorer Cyle Larin brought a lead to his team in the 11th minute of the match with a shot from the penalty area. The El Salvador players protested because they thought it was an offside, but the assistant referee and the referee remained silent. Anyway, Larin found himself in front of the goalkeeper Oscar Arroyo Pena, and it was easy for him to convert the chance into a goal.
