Canada wins Canadian Shield Tournament despite penalty shootout loss to Ivory Coast
Canada's Cyle Larin, left, is knocked off the ball by Cote d'Ivoire's Franck Yannick Kessie during first half Canadian Shield Tournament action, in Toronto, on Tuesday June 10, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
TORONTO — It was a draw, a loss and a win — all in one. But when the dust settled, Canada emerged victorious at the inaugural Canadian Shield Tournament.
Despite losing to African champion Ivory Coast 5-4 in a penalty shootout after a scoreless draw in regulation time Tuesday, the 30th-ranked Canadian men finished with four points, one ahead of No. 86 New Zealand and No. 25 Ukraine, and two ahead of No. 41 Ivory Coast.
That meant champion T-shirts, the PA system at BMO Field blaring Queen's 'We are The Champions,' pyrotechnics (which went off a little late) and a trophy to hoist.
Mission accomplished for Canada coach Jesse Marsch.
'I know from where we were 10 days ago to where we are right now, we're a much more prepared team for what next summer will require,' Marsch said, referencing the World Cup. 'And that's been the goal of creating these friendlies, to try and get the best opponents possible, the level of opponent that we think we're going to see next summer.
'And Ivory Coast challenged us in a lot of ways. We bent at moments but we didn't break. So that part was great.'
Victory was assured for Canada just by getting to the shootout, given it would finish the night with at least four points — with two points for a shootout win and one for a shootout loss — while no one else had more than three. A regulation win was worth three points at the tournament.
Jonathan David, Mathieu Choiniere, Derek Cornelius and Ismael Kone scored for Canada in the shootout. Badra Ali Sangaré stopped Tani Oluwaseyi and Luc de Fougerolles.
Clement Akpa, Jereme Boga, Emmanuel Latte Lath, Franck Kessie and Mohamed Diomande scored for Ivory Coast in the shootout, beating Dayne St. Clair. Mory Gbane missed the target.
Ukraine defeated New Zealand 2-1 in the early game Tuesday, leaving both teams at 1-1-0 with three points. That result meant Ivory Coast had to win by two goals to take the trophy.
The Canadians defeated Ukraine 4-2 in the tournament opener Saturday while Ivory Coast lost 1-0 to New Zealand.
Ivory Coast is currently ranked fifth in Africa by FIFA — behind No. 12 Morocco, No. 19 Senegal, No. 32 Egypt and No. 36 Algeria. But the Elephants are the reigning Africa Cup of Nations champions and have been ranked as high as No. 12 in the world.
Ivory Coast looked dangerous, comfortably moving the ball around as drums resonated in its supporters' section at BMO Field. The Ivorian 'keeper had little to do in the first half other than watch his team from afar.
Both teams managed just one shot on target before the break with Canada never really finding its rhythm. The second half was choppy and chippy with plenty of stops and starts before an announced crowd of 18,489.
As promised, Marsch fielded almost an entirely different lineup with only centre back Cornelius retaining his spot from the Ukraine starting 11. Veteran forward Cyle Larin served as captain for the first time.
Daniel Jebbison, a 21-year-old forward with England's Bournemouth, won his third cap in his first start. Vancouver Whitecaps winger Jayden Nelson also made his first start, earning his seventh cap.
It was a more experienced group of starters, with a combined cap count of 369 going into the game compared to 241 for the starting 11 against Ukraine. Larin, Jonathan Osorio and Richie Laryea accounted for 226 of Tuesday's total.
Osorio's 85th cap moved him into third place on the Canadian men's all-time list behind Julian de Guzman (89) and Atiba Hutchinson (105). Canadian midfielder Stephen Eustaquio was honoured before the game for earning his 50th cap against Ukraine.
David and Tajon Buchanan, who accounted for three goals against Ukraine, came off the bench in the 76th minute as Canada looked for a goal.
Canadian defender Sam Adekugbe had to be helped off the field in the 83rd minute, favouring his leg after going down. Marsch said the Whitecaps defender would have a scan done on his calf.
Canada had never faced Ivory Coast before. The last time it faced an African side was at the World Cup in Qatar in December 2022 when it lost 2-1 to Morocco in its final group-stage game.
The Ivory Coast squad draws on players from clubs in Belgium, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland and Turkey.
Canada heads to the CONCACAF Gold Cup next, opening against No. 95 Honduras on June 17 in Vancouver before completing Group B play in Houston against No. 90 Curaçao and No. 81 El Salvador on June 21 and 24, respectively.
Marsch had the players runs sprints after Tuesday's match, ahead of a day off, with the team scheduled to gather in Vancouver on Thursday.
Canada went into Tuesday's match with a 7-4-5 record under Marsch, with one of those ties turning into a penalty shootout loss to Uruguay and another into a shootout win over Venezuela. His previous three games in Canada — against Ukraine, Suriname and Panama — were all victories.
Ivory Coast returns to World Cup qualifying play in September. It currently leads Group F in African qualifying with a 5-0-1 record, one point ahead of No. 79 Gabon in the six-country group that also includes No. 140 Burundi, No. 111 Kenya, No. 126 Gambia and the 203rd-ranked Seychelles.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 10, 2025.
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
35 minutes ago
- CBC
World Curling tightens sweeping rules, bans firmer broom foams ahead of Olympics
World Curling has tightened its sweeping equipment rules heading into the Olympic season. The move, announced Friday, follows concern over firmer broom foams that many players said gave sweepers too much control. Several high-profile models — including some from Goldline, BalancePlus and Hardline — are now banned. Only brushes with less-firm foam are approved for competition, effective immediately. World Curling said the decision followed extensive consultation with players, manufacturers and ice experts, as well as a sweep-testing exercise at the Morris Curling Club in Manitoba. Officials say it's a first step, with long-term reviews and equipment standards still in development. With the new regulations, the BalancePlus RS with Firm 2.0 foam, Goldline Impact with Evader or Pursuer foam, Hardline Ice Pad with Competitive foam, and SmartBroom by Curling Tools with current foam are no longer approved for play.
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
B.C. Lions, Winnipeg Blue Bombers both expected to miss stars for rematch
Winnipeg Blue Bombers' Brady Oliveira (20) runs for the first down during first half CFL action against the BC Lions in Winnipeg Thursday, June 12, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods Micah Awe feels like he's unlocked something new in his arsenal — and that could spell trouble for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers this weekend. Midway through a game against the Bombers in Winnipeg last week, the B.C. Lions linebacker started to see everything in front of him differently. The run game simply opened up, he said. 'To be honest, probably for the first time in my eight-year career, I started seeing linebackers kind of like a painting,' explained Awe, who registered 10 tackles in the contest. 'It's kind of like art. You see the art differently (once something clicks).' The switch in perception came from working with Lions defensive coordinator Mike Benevides and playing behind defensive linemen Mathieu Betts and Sione Teuhema, Awe said. 'The difference with this D line, it's the physicality and the violence,' said the 31-year-old Texas Tech product. 'That allows me to play a different way that I don't think people have seen, that I haven't seen myself. Because I'm able to do it now, it kind of unlocks that next level of linebacker for me. 'If I was a Pokemon, this might be, like, the third evolution or something.' B.C. (1-1) dropped a 34-20 decision to Winnipeg (1-0), but Awe and the rest of the Lions will have an opportunity for revenge Saturday when the two sides meet for a rematch in Vancouver. B.C. knows the key to earning a different result this time out is shutting down Winnipeg's potent rush, Awe said. 'If we can't stop the run, they can do whatever they want to do. So, that's going to be our main goal,' he said, adding that all comes down to want. 'Play professional football long enough, you realize, 'OK, all right. This is what I'm supposed to do, but I've still gotta go do it.' Winnipeg's offence will be without a key piece on Saturday after the team officially ruled Brady Oliveira out with a shoulder injury. The 27-year-old running back, who was named both the league's most-outstanding player and most-outstanding Canadian last season, contributed 49 yards on two carries last week before getting hurt. Bombers head coach Mike O'Shea said he isn't concerned about slotting someone else into the running back role. 'We've got lots of ways to move the roster around,' he said. 'We've always been pretty comfortable with everybody in our locker room. The belief is if they're here, they're going to help us win football games this year.' The Lions, too, could miss a prime offensive player for the rematch. Starting quarterback Nathan Rourke picked up a core injury in last week's loss and left in the fourth quarter. He was limited in practice on Tuesday, and did not take the field with his teammates on Wednesday or Thursday, working instead with trainers on the sidelines. B.C. has listed him as 'questionable' for Saturday's game. Veteran QB Jeremiah Masoli is expected to start for the Lions. Every quarterback on B.C.'s roster is ready to play, said Lions head coach Buck Pierce. 'All the guys have now had time under centre. And whether it be, in training camp, whether it be out here each week, I'm a big believer in getting everybody reps. So they've been taking reps, they've been learning,' he said. 'Jeremiah has a lot of experience in this league, and he's seen a lot of things. He's got a great mind for the game. He sees things quickly, he processes information fast. So, I'm confident in whoever we have back there.' The Blue Bombers will also have a different starting quarterback on Saturday as Zach Collaros returns to the lineup after serving a one-game suspension for failing to respond to an off-season drug-testing request. Pierce is uniquely primed to game plan for facing Winnipeg's usual No. 1, having worked with him for several seasons in his previous role as the Bombers' offensive coordinator. '(Collaros is) a hell of a player. I've got a lot of respect for what he's done,' the coach said. 'Obviously, I credit a lot of my success to him and he's dynamic, right? He's dynamic, he's tough, he loves to compete. 'So we're going to have to make sure that we understand his strengths and know how to play against him.' WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS (1-0) AT B.C. LIONS (1-1) B.C. Place, Saturday MR. 200: Collaros enters the game with 199 regular-season touchdown passes across his CFL career. Only 14 players have reached the 200 mark across the league, and Bo Levi Mitchell is the only active player to have hit the milestone. WINNER-PEG: The Bombers have fared well against the Lions in recent years, going 7-2 in matchups between the two sides since 2022. BACK TO BACK: Masoli believes seeing the same team two weeks in a row will be a boon for B.C. 'Obviously we weren't as successful as we wanted to be last game,' he said. 'So, we're just working hard to be able to make sure that turns in our favour this weekend.' This report by Gemma Karstens-Smith The Canadian Press was first published June 20, 2025.
CBC
2 hours ago
- CBC
Canada's Fernandez ousted by Yastremska in Nottingham quarterfinals
Canada's Leylah Fernandez dropped a 6-3, 7-6 (6) decision to Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska in the Nottingham Open quarterfinals on Thursday. Yastremska saved a set point in the second-set tiebreak. She converted both her break chances, while Fernandez went 1-for-8. Yastremska finished with five aces to Fernandez's one. The Laval, Que., native, seeded fifth at the grass-court event, landed 73 per cent of her first serves but won just 41 per cent on second serve. It was Yastremska's first win in three career meetings with Fernandez.
