Canada settles for draw vs. Ireland in Montreal friendly
Jesse Marsch’s side impressed in the first half but couldn't slam the door shut after taking the lead on Friday at Stade Saputo.
- Canada 1 (O’Brien OG 23’), Republic of Ireland 1 (Parrott 60’)
- Canadians have 1 regulation time loss in last 17 matches
- Les Rouges unbeaten in 7 games going into the World Cup
- Davies, Ahmed and Shaffelburg ruled out due to injuries
MONTREAL – This wasn’t exactly the kind of sendoff that the Canadian men’s team was hoping for ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Canada took the lead in a dominant opening 45 minutes on Friday but then conceded a penalty in the second half to allow Ireland to walk away with a 1-1 draw before a sellout crowd of 19,619 at Stade Saputo.
The Canadians were looking to build up some momentum in their final World Cup tune-up match, only to be left frustrated and shaking their heads over what might have been after failing to put the game away when they had the chance.
For all of Canada’s domination in the first half, they went into the break with only one goal, and an own goal at that. By letting the Irish stick around in the game, Canada flirted with disaster and nearly suffered what would’ve been a demoralizing defeat.
