Debutants Canada overcome 10-man Peru at Copa America 2024; reviving group A hopes after opening defeat

Jonathan David netted a winner in 74th minute.

After the opening game defeat to defending champions Argentina, tournament debutants Canada looked to get their 2024 Copa America campaign back on track against Peru in an exciting Group A affair at the Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City.

Canada started the match dominant in possession, as they looked to have most of the ball in order to find the right moments to cut open the robust low-block defensive setup of Peru, which helped them earn a vital point in their goalless draw against Chile.

However, Jorge Fossati’s Peru were no easy pushovers, as they alerted Canada of their potential threats when forward Gianluca Lapadula unleashed a rocket from outside the box, forcing a crucial save from goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau early on in the game.

Peru looked to grow more into the game through their left flank exploits, with the hope of causing Canada trouble on the break.

However, it was Canada who failed to capitalise on the golden opportunity of the half, when a lightning-quick transition from defence to attack caught Peru’s defence napping, resulting in striker Cyle Larin agonisingly missing from point-blank range, to keep the scores level. Both sides kept knocking on the door in search of the crucial opening goal as the first half came to a close.

The second half commenced with three Canada substitutions, as Jesse Marsch looked to freshen up the lineup with tactical improvements to win the match.

Almost an hour into the game, Peru suffered a major setback when defender Miguel Araujo was shown a straight card, forcing the 10-man team into a pragmatic reshuffle of defensive-minded substitutions.

These frantic sequences of events finally proved to be too much for Peru to handle, as Jonathan David’s clinical right-footed finish gave Canada a crucial 1-0 lead in the 74th minute. After a tense and physical match that saw Peru reduced to 10 men, Canada finally broke through the resolute Peruvian defence to tilt the scales decisively in their favour.

Canada looked to further capitalise on their numerical advantage as they hoped to score the killer-blow second goal to seal the game. Jesse Marsch’s Canada held onto the slender lead to open their account for the 2024 Copa America with a hard-fought 1-0 win against Peru.

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