| 5/23/14 |
1 |
2 |
Final |
Goal Scorers |
 |
Canada
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
Hutchinson 27'
|
|
Bulgaria
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
Galabinov 18'
|
|
|
 |
A goal, and a step on the road to recovery
|
|
|
|
Untitled Document
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Atiba Hutchinson scored from the penalty spot to end Canada’s embarrassing 14-month goalless drought and to help the Canadians to a credible 1-1 draw against Bulgaria in a friendly in Ritzing, Austria.
It was always likely to be the longest of roads to recovery for Canada’s Men’s National Team – but 19 months after plummeting into one of its worst spells in the modern era – the team gave Canadian fans a little glimpse of some of the good that might be waiting just beyond the horizon today in Austria.
Canada came back from a goal down to earn a credible 1-1 draw against a Bulgarian side that would have been favoured by many to win this game.
Perhaps more importantly than the result itself, the Canadians showed that despite enduring a 14-month goalless drought on the back of a calamitous exit from World Cup Qualifying, that there is still a sense of resilience and belief in a group of players that have endured a fair bit of trauma.
For a brief while, it looked as if it might be just another page in what has been a painful chapter for Canadian men’s football.
After carving out the better of the early chances, it was the same old story again as Canada conceded the first goal of the game when Bulgaria broke through the back-line with a tidy bit of build-up play with Andrey Galabinov on the spot to thump an effort past Milan Borjan from close range.
Canadian heads dropped after the goal and you sensed for a few minutes that neither the team’s long-standing winless or goalless streaks were likely to come to an end at this particular juncture in the Austrian countryside.
But then – a lifeline.
Hutchinson crossed in, Hainault headed goalwards, and in a moment of madness one of the Bulgarian defenders swung wildly in an attempt to clear the ball and in the process caught Tosaint Ricketts square in the face with his boot.
The Austrian referee Harald Balcher pointed to the penalty spot without hesitation.
Hutchinson, undoubtedly the form Canadian player of the moment, stepped up and dispatched the penalty coolly, sending the Bulgarian goalkeeper Vladislav Stoyanov the wrong way with the ball nestling into the bottom right corner.
Atiba Hutchinson:
In the moments following Canada’s first goal in 14 months (a streak that dated all the way back to Marcus Haber’s goal against Japan in March 2013), the Canadians looked as if they were likely to follow-up with a second.
Ricketts smashed a rocket of a volley goalwards, only to be denied by an acrobatic piece of goalkeeping and Simeon Jackson followed up with an effort of his own from just outside the area.
As the teams re-emerged for the second half on a fine early summer’s evening at the quaint Sonnenseestadion in Ritzing, set amongst the rolling green hills south of Vienna – there was a sense that Canada could go on to end a second major matter of ongoing concern: the team’s winless streak that reaches all the way back to October 2012’s 3-0 win over Cuba in Toronto.
The Canadians started brightly in the second half, as they had in the first half, but as Hutchinson tired after offering so much for Canada in the early stages of the game, the overall attacking flow ground to a halt.
Bulgaria pushed forward riding a wave of energy from a batch of substitutions and pegged Canada back for the majority of the final 30 minutes of the game.
The Bulgarian goalscorer Galabinov nearly profited again as he was played through into an excellent position, but Canadian keeper Milan Borjan rushed off his line to thwart the danger.
David Edgar:
The Eastern European side continued to pelt the Canadian area with long balls and crosses, but with Adam Straith, David Edgar and André Hainault offering plenty of height across the back-line – Canada was able to ride out the storm and notch a much-needed result for a program that has been sorely lacking any notion of good news.
So as the referee blew his whistle for full-time and turned to shake hands with Canadian captain Julian De Guzman, there was likely a sense of relief for coach Benito Floro who has seemingly bought himself a bit more time as he continues to instill his football philosophies in his new troops.
Canada will now turn its focus to Tuesday and the opportunity to get a win over Moldova in a second friendly here in Austria – a result that would be Canada’s first victory in a staggering 19 months.
Post-Match Reaction:
"For us, it has been a very good result—not only because we scored a goal and we tied the game. I liked our tactical behaviour. The team demonstrated the ability to change our strategy immediately and I am very happy because it is very important," - Benito Floro
"In the second half we withstood a lot of pressure. In the first half, I thought we controlled it quite well. They were just passing side-to-side and never really penetrated us. They switched things up in the second half and went a little more direct, which is a compliment to us as a team and as a back four. We stayed really compact, put our bodies on the line and we got a good draw out of it," - David Edgar
"A couple of us were talking about (the goal drought) after the game. It’s a little bit of a relief to get that over and done with. Now the next step is obviously to get a win. We’re going to work hard at that. We had some good parts in the game but overall we’re building to where we want to be so it’s getting better and better," - Atiba Hutchinson
|
|
| |
 |
| |
Post a Comment
|
|
|
 |
 |
Issey Nakajima-Farran ahead of Canada vs Belize.
|
WinandOffice: Your Source for 2024 Microsoft Windows & Office Keys Upgrade Your Microsoft Experience: Get 2024 Windows & Office Licenses Today! winandoffice.net WinandOffice
|