Canada’s men’s soccer team continued its dazzling display at the World Cup Qualifiers beating Honduras 2-0 on Thursday.
Team Canada’s Tajon Buchanan forced an own goal to give Canada the early lead.
With Honduras putting pressure on Canada in the second half, Canadian goalkeeper Milan Borjan kept them in the game with an incredible cross-goal save.
Huge save from Borjan leads to an incredibly cheeky finish from Jo David ON. A. Platter… from Liam Fraser and that trail away celly… ???? #CANMNT #ForCanada pic.twitter.com/7KFoImGPn1
— Canada Soccer (@CanadaSoccerEN) January 28, 2022
Just three minutes later Jonathan David put Canada up 2-0 with an astonishing play of his own, all but securing the victory.
Canada was without Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies, who has been sidelined by myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, after testing positive for COVID. Influential midfielder Stephen Eustaquio was also missing, with a Portuguese report saying he had tested positive for COVID. Herdman said prior to the game that he hoped Eustaquio could play some part in the games ahead.
The win kept Canada (5-0-4, 19 points) atop the eight-team qualifying standings although the second-place U.S. (5-1-3, 18 points) and third-place Mexico (5-2-2, 17 points) kept pace with victories of their own.
John Herdman’s team is on track to make it to soccer’s showcase for the first time since 1986, its only visit to the men’s World Cup.
Thursday’s match at the Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano was the first of three in a week during the FIFA international window, with games against the U.S. and El Salvador to follow.
The two teams tied 1-1 when they met in Toronto last September but the 40th-ranked Canadians have gone unbeaten since, collecting 15 points, while No. 76 Honduras has added just two.
The Canadians return home to face the 11th-ranked Americans on Sunday at Hamilton’s Tim Hortons Field before making the 3,400-kilometre trip to San Salvador to face No. 70 El Salvador next Wednesday.
Canada Soccer said last week that Hamilton’s Tim Hortons Field will be reduced to 50 per cent capacity for the national men’s team’s World Cup qualifier on Jan. 30.
With files from Sportsnet and The Canadian Press