It was squeakier than fans may have hoped, but Canada sewed up a spot in next summer’s Gold Cup with a 1-0 win over Saint Kitts and Nevis in Concacaf Nations League qualifying on Sunday.
It’s Canada’s third straight victory, following an 8-0 win over the US Virgin Islands in September and a 5-0 defeat of Dominica at BMO Field in October. But Sunday’s affair, played at Warner Park in Basseterre, St. Kitts, provided John Herdman’s side with a much steeper challenge than those two prior games.
A competitive first half concluded with Atiba Hutchinson heading home a picture-perfect cross from Russell Teibert to, as it would turn out, decide the match.
Highlights: @SKNFA_ 0 – 1 @CanadaSoccerEN#CNL #TheDreamStartsNow pic.twitter.com/YAU8XYBLUO
— Concacaf Nations League (@CNationsLeague) November 19, 2018
Despite some moments of individual magic from the likes of Alphonso Davies and Ballou Tabla, the Canadians couldn’t sustain a sufficiently cohesive attack to pad their advantage. But the slim lead never seemed in grave danger, as Les Rouges coolly saw things out against a dogged and determined home side.
Canada wrap up qualifying against French Guiana at a to-be-determined Canadian venue on March 26. That match will decide whether they will compete in League A or League B of the inaugural CNL competition next year.
RATINGS
Milan Borjan (6.5) – Faced hardly any stern tests on goal, but did help his side’s cause with useful distribution and his customarily reliable handling.
Alphonso Davies (6) – Playing in the left back position exposed a few moments of defensive naivete, but he compensated with his famous footwork, which nearly netted him a couple of goals late on.
Zachary Brault-Guillard (6) – Eager to join the attack, particularly in the early going, but also confidently kept the opposing attack at bay along the right side of defense.
Derek Cornelius (6) – Showed good strength in the air and a developing connection with central defensive partner Doneil Henry in their trickiest assignment to date.
Doneil Henry (6) – For a man who often finds himself at the center of big moments (and not always the good kind), this relatively uneventful night was a welcome occurrence.
Samuel Piette (6) – Seemed slightly unsettled by the patchy playing surface at first, but grew in assertiveness and precision as the game moved along.
Atiba Hutchinson (6.5) – Calm and collected as ever as Canada’s midfield engine, particularly when thumping home the seventh goal of his decorated national-team career.
Junior Hoilett (6.5) – Drew plenty of attention from opponents with his lateral movement, earning multiple free kicks and creating space for teammates in 70 minutes of action.
Russell Teibert (7) – Earned an assist on Hutchinson’s goal and could have had several more, with quality delivery to teammates throughout the night.
Ballou Tabla (6) – Full of stepovers and tricky runs, but didn’t find himself intimately involved in dangerous scoring opportunities in his 65-ish minutes of play.
Lucas Cavallini (6) – Exerted loads of energy over his 75 minutes of play, mostly on pressing the opposition and tracking back (albeit with an occasional surplus of aggressiveness).
Jonathan David (6.5) – Did what was asked in his 25 minutes, running at a tired SKN defense and nearly finding his fourth Canada goal, foiled only by the crossbar.
Liam Millar (5.5) – Got a 20-minute run-out that was more functional than flashy, helping to shepherd his side to its one-goal in with good possession play.
Cyle Larin (5.5) – Like David, he came on to help kill off the game’s waning minutes, and helped prevent the opponents from building much out of the back.
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