EDMONTON –
A record night by Cyle Larin not only took Canada to a 2-1 win over Mexico on Tuesday at Commonwealth Stadium, but also put the Canadians at the top of their CONCACAF World Cup group.
That’s right. As the CONCACAF’s eight remaining teams, each finishing eighth on their 14-match schedule in the Octagon, Canada (4-0-4), a country that hasn’t made it to a World Cup since 1986, came out on top. One point about Americans. Two points against the Mexicans and the Panamanians. The top three teams qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, while the fourth-placed team has a final spot to qualify for the intercontinental knockout round.
Larin’s two-goal performance earned him a total of 22 goals for the national team, making Dwayne De Rosario the all-time leading Canadian men’s top scorer in history.
Just before half-time, a missed shot by Canadian defender Alistair Johnston could only be saved by Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa. The ball landed right in the path of Larin, who made no mistake.
Johnston’s shot appeared to be sped up after making a nasty dribble on artificial turf, the effect of a cold, slippery ball on a hard playing surface. According to Environment Canada, the match time temperature was – 9 degrees Celsius. .
Larin scored again in the seventh minute in the second, when he kicked home after a perfect Stephen Eustaquio pass that sent Ochoa flying over the line.
