The CanMNT got off to the best possible with a dominating win over the World Cup hosts from Qatar in Vienna at the Generali Arena.
The CanMNT impresses in solid win in Vienna, Austria
SQUAD 👊#WeCAN #CANMNT pic.twitter.com/pNTfv9KZeY
— Canada Soccer (@CanadaSoccerEN) September 23, 2022
John Herdman, Samuel Piette, and Cyle Larin on the victory
In front of a small group of Canadian fans who made the trip to the Austrian capital, the CanMNT began their September window with a 2-0 win over Qatar. The Canadians got off to a quick start in the fifth minute of the game as Alistair Johnston on the flank found Sam Adekugbe who made a solid cross which was headed into the back of the net by Cyle Larin.
“The guys went out and did well,” said, Larin. “We stuck to our game and we dominated possession and we kept the intensity and it’s all about finding ways to be better every day.”
Almost 10 minutes later Jonathan David doubled Canada’s lead when he found a loose rebound off a shot from Kamal Miller and was able to put it into the back of the net after Alphonso Davies missed the opportunity. Davies came out at the 60-minute after getting tackled but John Herdman doesn’t think it’s too severe.
“I was frustrated because he was due to come out at the 55-minute but he’s being assessed and to me, on the bench and after the game, he seemed ok and in high spirits so I don’t think it’s too serious.”
It was one of those games where we saw the Canadians dominate an opponent from start to finish and show signs this team has what it takes to go far.
“I enjoyed it.” said Herdman. “It’s been four years since we have played someone outside of Concacaf and to play a team like Qatar we know they are an organized team so I was happy with the performance, and to keep a clean sheet it’s good and on our attack, it was good to break down their block which is a stubborn block.”
Samuel Piette who played the majority of the game was also pleased with the performance and now looks ahead to the big game on Tuesday against Uruguay.
“I thought it was a great performance from the team and from the opening minute we were able to possess the ball and move it and we did a good block defensively so they weren’t really pressing us and as soon as we lost the ball we were able to get it back quickly.”
Steven Vitoria on the win and the game coming up against Uruguay
Steven Vitoria also gave his thoughts to the Canadian media in attendance and again was happy with the performance and the win.
“It feels great and for many reasons, to be back with the guys and take an important step forward and we win even in a friendly where there are no points and just to have that winning mentality and we didn’t suffer any goals but we know there is always room for improvement and that’s our focus to continue growing.”
🍁 @CanadaSoccerEN is looking ready for the #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/ni1lkpVVoe
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) September 23, 2022
The team will now focus its attention on a much more serious opponent in Uruguay who they will face at the National Stadium in Bratislava and that will be a true test to see how they matchup against one of the best teams in South America and will face the likes of Luis Suarez, Darwin Nunez, and of course Federico Valverde. It will be the same roster of CanMNT players, which was released earlier this month.
Photo Credit: Canada Soccer’s Twitter Account on September 23, 2022.
