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Jacob Shaffelburg scored twice as Canada beat Peru 2-0 before 19,619 fans in Montreal, with Samuel Piette honoured for his 70th cap in his hometown.
Jacob Shaffelburg scored twice in the first half as Canada defeated Peru 2-0 in a friendly Saturday at Montreal's Stade Saputo. The sellout crowd of 19,619 saw Canada improve to 3-1-0 all-time against Peru on a sunny, 15 C afternoon.
Shaffelburg opened the scoring in the 19th minute and added his second in the 35th for the 30th-ranked Canadian men. The win followed Canada's 1-0 victory over No. 49 Chile last week in Toronto to open a new four-year World Cup cycle. Daniel Jebbison added an assist as Canada held 61 per cent possession and outshot the 50th-ranked Peruvians 17-4, including 3-0 on target.
An awkward rendition of O Canada, with the anthem singer appearing to forget the words, made for a strange start to the afternoon. The home side quickly energized the crowd, with midfielder Nathan Saliba finding winger Liam Millar with a dangerous through ball in the first minute. Millar dribbled around the keeper but his shot was blocked by a defender.
Star striker Jonathan David missed a golden opportunity in the 17th minute, firing wide from the penalty area after Jebbison's centred pass. Shaffelburg broke through minutes later with a strike across goal after Jebbison redirected Millar's cross to the edge of the six-yard box. The 26-year-old winger from Port Williams, N.S. , added to his tally in the 35th minute.
He headed home a Millar cross that tipped off the fingers of Peru keeper Diego Romero at the back post for his ninth goal with the national team. In one of Peru's few chances, Gianluca Lapadula fired a left-footed shot from the right side of the box over the crossbar in the 57th minute, almost lifting the noisy contingent of white-clad Peruvian fans out of their seats.
Marsch Makes Extensive Substitutions
Canada coach Jesse Marsch appeared more than comfortable with the lead by the 62nd minute, when he substituted nine players at once in a full line change. Marsch opted for a young starting 11, with 22-year-old goalkeeper Owen Goodman making his senior national team debut. Goodman was among the new faces as Canada managed a long list of absences due to injury. Centre back Derek Cornelius dislocated his hip in training last week in Toronto.
Fellow defenders Moise Bombito and Alistair Johnston were also out, while captain Alphonso Davies was away on a honeymoon. World Cup goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau attended the game but was left off the roster after the death of his father. Veteran striker Cyle Larin also didn't play Saturday after tweaking his back in the weight room earlier in the week. While Shaffelburg took the spotlight on the scoresheet, another Canada veteran was honoured before kickoff.
Samuel Piette Honored By Crowd
Canada Soccer celebrated longtime central midfielder and CF Montreal captain Samuel Piette with a ceremony in front of his hometown crowd. Piette came on to loud applause as a substitute in the 66th minute for his 70th appearance with the senior men's side and first since June 2024. The 31-year-old from Le Gardeur, Que. , hoped it would not be his last, saying he has no plans to retire from international soccer.
Piette turns 32 next month and has been a regular contributor to CF Montreal this season. In his 10th season with the club, Piette has made 17 league appearances, including 14 starts, and averaged just under an hour of gametime over his last five matches. Canada manager Jesse Marsch acknowledged this week that Piette isn't ready to walk away from the national team.
He's still playing competitively, and he told me that he didn't want to retire from the national team until he's done playing, Marsch said. He doesn't want to make any sort of announcement, and I said I respect that, Marsch added. Making his senior debut in 2012 at age 17 in a friendly against the United States, Piette became Canada's third-youngest debutant ever at the time.
He became a fixture in Canada teams throughout the 2010s, appearing in Gold Cups in both 2015 and 2017. While Piette was named to the 2022 World Cup squad and the 2024 Copa America team, he saw game action in neither. His last appearance before Saturday came in a 12-minute cameo during a 4-0 loss to the Netherlands in a summer 2024 friendly.
Clearly a popular figure among his peers, Piette's Canada teammates spoke effusively of him during training this week. I've had him as a teammate for so long, an extraordinary guy, former CF Montreal and current Los Angeles FC midfielder Mathieu Choiniere said. On the field, he's a leader. He's a guy who brings the voice, he's there for his team, he puts his teammates first, Choiniere said.
And it's his style of play, too. That's what he brings. He makes others shine, Choiniere added. Even in everyday life, he's a guy who's like that.
He's generous and sharing those moments with him is great, Choiniere said. Currently Canada's vice-captain, Stephen Eustaquio cites Piette as an important figure for him when he was finding his footing within the national setup. When I came into the program, he was one of the main leaders of the team, the Swansea City midfielder said.
I remember back then when my brother started playing for Canada, as well, Samuel Piette was one of the best talents Canada had produced at the time, Eustaquio said. To be honest, to be in the Qatar cycle with him was amazing, Eustaquio added. He easily pathed the way for us midfielders with the lot of experience he has and a lot of talent, Eustaquio said.
He helped us a lot and he deserves all the recognition possible, especially in his city, as well, Eustaquio said. So I think it's going to be a very nice moment for him and I'm happy that I'm going to be here to support him, Eustaquio said. For Canada, Saturday's match was the second straight against South American opposition.
Canada Faces South American Rivals
Marsch's side played two men up for much of the victory over Chile, with the visitors reduced to nine men by the 50th minute after both Lucas Cepeda and captain Gabriel Suazo were sent off. Jonathan David's 12th-minute marker was the game's only goal. Peru has missed out on 11 of the past 12 World Cups, including this past summer's, with their lone appearance a group-stage exit at Russia 2018.
Things have gone considerably better at Copa America over the past 15 years. Since 2011, Peru has finished third twice, fourth once and were runners-up in 2019. Their most recent tournament, 2024, was a disappointment, though, as Peru crashed out in the group stage without a victory. Their lone point came in a scoreless draw with Chile on Matchday 1.
On Matchday 2, Peru fell 1-0 to Canada on a David goal in Kansas City. Their 2-0 loss to eventual champions Argentina on the final matchday took them out of the tournament. Managed by former Brazil gaffer Mano Menezes, who took over this past January, Peru came in off a pair of games against CONCACAF teams. Following a 4-1 drubbing by the United States, Los Incas bounced back to earn a 1-1 draw with Mexico on Tuesday.
Jairo Velez notched Peru's goal in the 29th minute of that match. Saturday's match was just the fourth-ever meeting between the two sides. Prior to the Copa America game, each team split a pair of friendlies. In 2010, Los Incas were 2-0 winners over Canada at BMO Field.
Before that, Canada beat Peru in Lima by a score of 3-1, with Nick De Santis, Lyndon Hooper and John Catliff scoring for Canada. Up next, the Canadian men conclude their three-match window Tuesday against the United States in St. Paul, Minn. , at Allianz Field, home of Minnesota United. With the current political climate, Tuesday's match could be a fiery one.
They'll return to action during November's international break with a two-legged Nations League quarterfinal against an opponent to be determined, with the second game Nov. 16 in Toronto.
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CP24:This story was compiled and edited by the HeadTopics newsroom and HT AI from the reports above.
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