Canada blanks Romania in 1st game after early Gold Cup exit
The Canadians stormed out to an early 2-0 lead and never looked back during Friday’s friendly in Bucharest.
- Canada 3 (David 11’; Ahmed 22’; Sigur 77’), Romania 0
- Juventus’ Jonathan David scores all-time leading 37th for Canada’s men’s team
- Canadians earn 1st win over a European nation in Europe for 1st time since 2011
A disappointing showing at this summer’s Concacaf Gold Cup has been completely forgotten by the Canadian men’s team as it prepares to co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
That much was made clear on Friday in Canada’s comprehensive 3-0 win over Romania in an international friendly at Arena Națională in Bucharest.
Juventus forward Jonathan David opened the scoring while Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Ali Ahmed put in a man-of-the-match effort with a goal and an assist. Hajduk Split fullback Niko Sigur also scored for Canada, who was playing its first match since a shocking loss to Guatemala that led to its quarter-final exit at the Gold Cup.
The Canadians’ previous win on European soil against a European opponent came in a 1-0 decision over Belarus in a friendly in Turkey on March 29, 2011. Canada's previous win over a European team playing on home soil was a 1-0 decision over Cyprus on May 30, 2009 in Larnaka. Their last win in Europe was a 2-0 victory over Qatar in Austria on Sept. 23, 2022.
