Canada’s men’s national team came out flying on Saturday afternoon, scoring three first-half goals to lift it to a 4–2 win over Ukraine at BMO Field in Toronto.
Jonathan David, one of Europe’s most highly-coveted free agents this summer, opened the scoring in the fourth minute on his second chance, after initially heading down a cross from CF Villarreal’s Tajon Buchahan. He added a second in the 24th minute, with a deft flicked header, once again finishing a chance created by Buchanan.
Buchanan, who recently scored against FC Barcelona on the last day of the La Liga season, looked as good as he has ever been in a Canadian shirt, a welcome sight for head coach Jesse Marsch’s side after he suffered a broken leg at the 2024 Copa América.
Through his 90 minutes he had two assists and a goal while also completing five dribbles, creating two chances, showcasing the elite talents that attracted Inter Milan’s eye, before the Italian Champions League finalists sent him on loan to Spain.
While David and Buchanan have already had notable moments for Canada, Promise David began to establish himself within the national team picture as well, scoring his first goal after Ukraine struggled to play out of the back in the 31st minute.
The two Davids started up top for Canada for the first time, and threatened throughout the first half, with Promise putting up two shots and eight successful passes, before coming out at halftime for AFC Bournemouth’s Daniel Jebbison.
While it was just 45 minutes, Canada will be happy from what the partnership brought, a new look which gives Les Rouges further options in attack.
At the same time, CF Montréal’s Nathan Saliba came into midfield alongside FC Porto’s Stephen Eustàquio and stood out with his balanced play in midfield, acting as a lynchpin in transition.
Things began to fall apart late in the match for Canada though, as Illia Zabarnyi beat Maxime Crépeau in the 89th minute, before Arsenal's Oleksandr Zinchenko slotted home a penalty in second half stoppage time, to bring the match to 4–2.
It was a game to remember for Canada, one they will hope to build on when they face the Ivory Coast on Tuesday, with the goal of securing another three points in the Canadian Shield and giving themselves the best possible preparation for the Concacaf Gold Cup and next year's World Cup.
Canada Player Ratings vs. Ukraine (4-2-3-1)
Player Ratings Provided by FotMob
Ukraine Player Ratings vs Canada (4-1-4-1)
Player of the Match: Joanthan David (Canada)
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Canada 4–2 Ukraine: Player Ratings From Canada's Dominant Win.
