Canada secured a dramatic 4-3 penalty shootout victory over Venezuela on Friday, reaching the Copa America semi-finals for the first time in their history. The intense match, held at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, ended 1-1 after regular time.
With the shootout level after five attempts each, Wilker Angel’s spot-kick was saved by Maxime Crepeau, and Ismael Kone scored the decisive penalty to propel Canada into the next round.
“Emotions are running high, I’m so happy for everyone who is supporting us,” said Crepeau, who made two crucial saves in the shootout, to Fox Sports. “It’s a lot of work and now we have the fruit of our hard work. This is amazing to be in the semi-finals of Copa America. I think everybody needs to realize this country and its footballers deserve respect.”
Playing in their first Copa America, Canada will face Argentina in New Jersey on Tuesday, aiming for a spot in the July 14 final. The semi-final will be a rematch of the tournament opener, where defending champions Argentina won 2-0.
Canada, who scored just one goal in their three group stage matches, began the match with unexpected urgency. Their efforts paid off in the 13th minute when Jacob Shaffelburg scored from a Jonathan David cross. Shaffelburg held up the jersey of teammate Tajon Buchanan, who broke his leg in training earlier in the week, in a touching tribute.
Despite several missed opportunities to extend their lead in the first half, including shots from Shaffelburg and David, Venezuela pressed for an equalizer. Salomon Rondon, Venezuela’s all-time leading scorer, tested Crepeau with two significant efforts.
Canada’s Cyle Larin missed a close-range shot in the 52nd minute, and Venezuela’s Jose Martinez also sent a rebound over the bar two minutes later. Venezuela finally equalized in the 64th minute when Rondon executed a brilliant lob over the off-the-line Crepeau, marking his 44th goal for the national team.
Canada responded strongly, with substitute Liam Millar having a tight-angle effort saved and Tani Oluwaseyi sending two shots over the bar. Despite the efforts, neither team could find a winner in regulation time.
Venezuela’s exit followed a flawless group stage campaign, winning all three matches. Manager Fernando Batista remains optimistic about their World Cup qualification prospects, saying, “This is a long process. We have a huge dream that we’re going for, all Venezuelans want to qualify for the World Cup. And the Copa America gave us a possibility of strengthening our squad.”
