Canada Defeat Ukraine on the Opening Day of the Canadian Shield Tournament
Canada and Ukraine sing their national anthems ahead of their match in the Canadian Shield Tournament. Photo Credit: Mark Temnycky
It was a night to forget for Ukraine in Toronto as the Ukrainians were beaten by Canada 4-2. The Canadians controlled the majority of the match, and while the Ukrainians seemed to fight back toward the end of the game, the effort was not enough. Given the result of this match, it is unlikely the Zbirna will be able to win the inaugural Canadian Shield Tournament.
Canada pressured Ukraine right from the opening kickoff. During the opening minute of the match, the Canadians broke through the Ukrainian defense, and they registered their first chance on Ukraine’s goal. It was an early warning to Ukraine, but they did not adapt. Minutes later, Canada took the lead. After four minutes of play, Canadian winger Tajon Buchanan broke down the field, and he delivered a cross into the box. Forward Jonathan David was in the center of the box, where he headed toward the goal. The initial attempt was saved, but the rebound fell kindly to David, and he slotted home. This made it 1-0 to Canada.
The Ukrainians then had an almost immediate response. After a few passages of play, Heorhiy Sudakov collected the ball in the center of the field. He then laid it off to Mykola Shaparenko, who saw Sudakov dart toward the Canadian goal. He delivered a cross into the box, but as Sudakov shot the ball, Canadian goal Maxime Crépeau made an expert save to keep his side ahead. The Ukrainians had another attempt in the twelfth minute when midfielder Oleksandr Zinchenko broke Canada’s defense. The Ukrainian had a one-on-one with Canada’s goalkeeper, where Zinchenko attempted to chip Crépeau, but the Canadian made another fine save.
After these Ukrainian efforts, it was Canada who would score again. During the twenty-fourth minute, Canada had a near-carbon copy of their first goal. Once again, Buchanan broke down the field, he delivered a cross, and Jonathan David headed the ball home. 2-0 to Canada.
The Ukrainians then received another blow after needlessly giving the ball away in the thirty-first minute. Having been under little pressure, Ukrainian defender Valeriy Bondar made a sloppy backward pass to the defense, where Canadian forward Promise David pounced. He had a clear one-on-one with Ukrainian goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin, and the Canadian scored. 3-0 to Canada.
Ukraine attempted to muster something toward the end of the half, where they were awarded a free kick at the top of the Canadian box in stoppage time. The opportunity did not come to fruition, however, and the first half ended with Canada leading 3-0 against Ukraine.
When the second half began, Ukraine played much better. During the fiftieth minute, Sudakov made a good run down the field, passing the Canadian defense. He crossed the ball into the box, and Ukrainian striker Roman Yaremchuk had an attempt on goal, but Canada’s defense blocked it. The same two players had another connection in the fifty-second minute, but once again, Yarmechuk’s shot on goal was saved.
After surviving these attacks, Canada began to find themselves in the second half. During the seventy-fifth minute, the Canadians broke down the Ukrainian defense. Jonathan David received the ball in the box, but he blasted his attempt narrowly over the Ukrainian goal. Then, in the seventy-eighth minute, Nathan Saliba made a pass at the top of the Ukrainian box to Jayden Nelson, who only had the Ukrainian goalkeeper to beat, but he was denied by the post. Ukraine were then made to pay in the eighty-first minute after Canada won a corner. The ball was whipped into the center of the box, and after a bounce, Buchanan gathered the rebound and slotted home. This made it 4-0 to Canada.
At that point in the match, it seemed as if the game was over, and both teams would look ahead to their matches on Tuesday, June 10. But the Ukrainians found some inspiration to make the end interesting at BMO Field. In the eighty-ninth minute, Oleksandr Zubkov delivered a cross into the box. After an initial save, Ukrainian defender Illya Zabarnyi slotted the ball home into an empty net, and Ukraine made it 4-1.
The Ukrainians then had another opportunity. During the ninetieth minute, Oleksandr Tymchyk crossed the ball into the box. Oleksandr Zinchenko collected the ball, and he laid it off to Sudakov, who shot on goal. The attempt was saved, but the rebound hit Buchanan on the arm. The referee had no choice but to award a penalty to Ukraine. Zinchenko stepped up to the spot, and after a brief stoppage in play, he scored, making it 4-2 on the night.
Despite this late resurgence, Ukraine would fall short in this match. The game ended 4-2, and Canada earned their first victory in the Canadian Shield Tournament. Later in the day, New Zealand defeated Ivory Coast 1-0, making it unlikely that Ukraine would win the Canadian Shield Tournament.
Following the game, Ukraine’s senior men’s national team manager Serhiy Rebrov held a post-match press conference. During the discussions, the manager stated that Canada had performed well. He credited several Canadian players competing at top clubs around the world, noting that they demonstrated their talent and ability during the match. He also admitted that the Ukrainians had made some mistakes during the game, which resulted in Canadian goals. Rebrov concluded by saying that he will consider various possibilities for how he will prepare his team for the game against New Zealand, which will depend on the match fitness of his players. He then concluded the post-match conference.
While Ukraine did not earn a result against Canada in this match, there were other things to celebrate. Thousands of Ukrainian-Canadians and Ukrainian-Americans attended the match to support Ukraine. Throughout the game, they cheered loudly for their country, and this energy made it seem as if the match was being played at a Ukrainian venue rather than in the heart of Toronto. The two goals scored by the Ukrainians also gave their fans something to cheer. Finally, after the game, members of Ukraine’s senior men’s national team made an effort to take photos with their fans. The players thanked the Ukrainian diaspora for their support of the team, and they stated that they hope to deliver a more positive result in their game against New Zealand. Time will tell how they will fare in their upcoming match.
Mark Temnycky is a nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center and a freelance journalist covering Eurasian affairs.