MONTREAL – The Canadian men’s soccer team played their first game in Montreal since 2017, but it was not the expected homecoming, losing 1-0 to Australia on Friday night at Stade Saputo.
Nestory Irankunda’s winner extended Australia’s unbeaten run to 12 games, having lost just once since March 21, 2024.
“I think we managed (the game) well. Unfortunately, we made a little mistake, but we’re going to learn from this,” said Mathieu Choinière who was one of the many Montreal-born players playing in his hometown for the first time ever as a member of the national team.
“I think overall we were the better team, and we created a lot of chances, we could have scored two or three goals, but (…) we’re going to keep branding.”
The game only needed three minutes for controversy to rear its head. Tajon Buchanan got on the end of a ball in behind the Australian back line and was taken down in the penalty area, but the referee waved play on.
As play continued, Australia dropped into a conservative 5-4-1 formation, getting as many players behind the ball as possible. They challenged Canada to break down a particularly resolute low block and managed to frustrate Canada while conceding large amounts of possession.
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“We needed to be a little bit sharper in some of the final third moments and maybe if we’re a little bit luckier in a couple little moments that we can come away with something,” said Canadian head coach Jesse Marsch. “For me, the ideas were good. The connections on the pitch and the way that we tried to find space and test them behind their back line was good.”
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The 30-minute mark brought the first clear cut chance as Ismael Kone took off on a mazey run through the Australian defence. After a sudden deflection, the ball was headed for the bottom corner but was cleared off the line by Paul Izzo.
Just after the 60-minute mark, Australia had the best chance of the game to find the opening goal. A swift move across the pitch and some impressive passing left Alessandro Circati alone in front of goal, but his shot was sent over the bar.
In the last 30 minutes, the game opened up significantly as both teams looked for a potential winner and began trading scoring opportunities. Having made the first substitutions, Australia’s freshness helped them control the game for the first time.
“For that period, we created numerous opportunities, really dominated that period,” said Australian head coach Tony Popovic. “Our challenge is, how do we sustain that for longer periods? I think that just will happen naturally, but we showed some wonderful glimpses.”
Australia capitalized in the 71st minute, stretching the field and catching Nico Sigur in possession after a strong press. With Sigur’s back turned, Irankunda’s sliding tackle knocked the ball past Maxime Crepeau and gave the visitors a surprise lead against the run of play.
Now holding on to a 1-0 lead, Australia’s game management included trying to throw the Canadian players off their game, something they successfully did quite often as mass confrontations occurred every few minutes. This is not a novelty for Canada, who often find themselves in heated matchups.
“The guy that’s always kind of in the middle of it is Richie (Laryea). I like this about Richie that he doesn’t back down,” says Marsch. “That’s what the games are going to be like. There’s going to be high emotion, but there’s also got to be a quick switch to get back into understanding what’s necessary in the match.”
While Canada had several good looks at goal in the closing stages of the game, they were unable to find the breakthrough needed to equalize.
The best opportunity came at the stroke of 90 minutes when a cross from Liam Millar found a wide open Jacob Shaffelburg who sent the point-blank shot into a sprawling Izzo.
UP NEXT
Canada: Will head to New Jersey on Oct. 14 to play 13th-ranked Colombia.
Australia: Will face the United States on Oct. 14 in Colorado.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 10, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
