By Canadian Press

Canada tops Cuba 4-2 to advance to CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinals

Jul 4, 2023 | 6:51 PM

HOUSTON — Canada has advanced to the CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinals.

Junior Hoilett, Jonathan Osorio, Jayden Nelson and Liam Millar scored as Canada topped Cuba 4-2 in their group stage finale on Tuesday at Shell Energy Stadium.

The victory means Canada will face Group A winner U.S. in the tournament quarterfinals on Sunday evening.

Canada entered the contest needing a victory, sitting third — behind Guadeloupe and Guatemala — in Group D with just two points. The win resulted in Canada (1-2-0) finishing second, with the top two seeds advancing from each group.

Guatemala (2-1-0) finished atop Group D to advance following a 3-2 win Tuesday against Guadeloupe (1-1-1) at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J.

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Canada earned back-to-back draws to open the tournament. A 2-2 draw against Guadeloupe in the opener in Toronto last Tuesday and a 0-0 tie against Guatemala in Houston on Saturday.

The Canadians hold a 10-3-2 record against Cuba, with their last meeting being a 1-0 Canada win on Sept. 10, 2019.

Canada got a great opportunity at the six-minute mark when Ali Ahmed sent a short cross in to an open Osorio, who knocked the ball off the crossbar and it bounced just inside the line, back up off the bar and out.

It wasn’t ruled a goal but play was stopped approximately a minute later. After a lengthy Video Assistant Review (VAR), Osorio was ruled offside and the score stayed put at 0-0.

Hoilett scored the opening goal in the 21st minute on a penalty kick, beating goalkeeper Sandy Sanchez with a low shot to the left side. Hoilett earned the penalty after an attempted cross from the left side of the box went off Eduardo Hernandez’s arm and out.

Osorio redeemed himself in the 26th minute when he put the finishing touch on a pretty play. Millar found Lucas Cavallini streaking into the box and he sent a pass across to an open Osorio who put it past Sanchez for a 2-0 edge.

In first half stoppage time, Maykel Reyes stripped Osorio of the ball, pushed ahead and sent a lead pass to Luis Paradela who got tackled by goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair trying to get by him. Paradela then beat St. Clair to trim Cuba’s deficit in half.

St. Clair started in place of Milan Borjan who was ruled out of the tournament with an undisclosed injury on Monday.

Nelson made it a 3-1 game just two minutes into the second half. Richie Laryea sent a cross into the box that Millar got a touch on before Cavallini put a shot on goal that was stopped by Sanchez. 

However, Sanchez could not get a hold of the ball and Nelson found the loose ball in traffic and put the ball into the net.

Millar gave Canada a three-goal edge in the 61st minute on a header from a Hoilett corner kick. He beat out a Cuban defender and Nelson Johnston — who entered the game for Sanchez just before the corner — to get his head on the ball.

Cuba threatened late with a corner kick but St. Clair knocked away a header that appeared to be from Yosel Piedra. However, a penalty kick was awarded to Cuba after a VAR in which the officials ruled the ball went off Dominick Zator.

As a result, Reyes just managed to get it past St. Clair in the 88th minute to make it a two-goal game. 

Osorio put the ball past Johnston for what would have been his second goal of the contest but was ruled offside in stoppage time.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 4, 2023.

The Canadian Press