Canada aggressive, dominant in memorable victory over Romania

A disappointing quarterfinal exit at this summer’s Concacaf Gold Cup raised some serious questions about the Canadian men’s team less than a year out from the 2026 FIFA World Cup. 

But maybe Canada’s shocking penalty shootout loss to Guatemala in June was just an outlier, nothing more than a case of the team having an off day. Whatever it was, it’s clearly been forgotten by the Canadians who put the hammer down in rampaging to 3-0 win over Romania in Friday’s international friendly in Bucharest in its first game since the Gold Cup. 

Considering the embarrassing Gold Cup exit, the calibre of the opponent and the location of the match, this was one of Canada’s best performances since Jesse Marsch took over the coaching reins last May. 

“I think it’s a moment to appreciate what’s happening in Canada and with the Canadian national team,” Marsch said. 

He later added: “It’s a special win for us, and another step, I think, for us on the way to making sure we’re a really good team next summer (at the World Cup).” 

Here are three major takeaways from the match. 

Canada set tone early against overwhelmed Romania 

Canada is 28th in the current FIFA world rankings (its highest-ever ranking), sitting 20 spots above Romania. This was the first ever meeting between the two countries at the senior level and it’s one that Canadian fans won’t soon forget, such was the manner in which Les Rouges took it to their European opponents on the night. 

The Canadians dominated the proceedings right from the opening kickoff, asserting themselves with a level of physicality that the Romanians couldn’t match and a systematic pressing game that the hosts struggled to play through.  

Acting captain Stephen Eustáquio and Ismaël Koné combined to great effect in central midfield, providing a solid platform that allowed Canada to win possession and then launch quick counter attacks that caught Romania’s defence flat-footed.   

That early pressure allowed Canada to take a 2-0 thanks to goals from Jonathan David (his all-time leading 37th for the men’s team) and Ali Ahmed after only 22 minutes. The Canadians never looked back after that, momentarily letting their foot off the gas early in the second half, before taking control again and killing off the game via Niko Sigur’s 77th-minute goal. 

Marsch has talked openly about wanting to see his Canadian side play on the front foot; to be aggressive and to force the issue right from the get-go, rather than react to what their opponents do. 

Canada outworked and out-thought Romania on this night and was duly rewarded for its efforts with a memorable victory. 

“I thought in general we had a very good start to the match getting the two goals. But I thought also setting the tone with the way we wanted to play, making it difficult on Romania, I think that was really important. Lots of good individual performances and a collective understanding of exactly what the opponent was and what we wanted the game to look like,” Marsch said. 

A man-of-the-match effort from midfielder Ali Ahmed 

Ahmed bolstered his case for more playing time with his best performance in 19 appearances by setting up David’s opener and then scoring his first international goal for Canada. 

In the 11th minute, Ahmed delivered a sublime free kick to the front post where it found David who scored into the bottom left corner off a glancing header from the edge of the six-yard box.  

Canada’s second goal in the 22nd minute was all Ahmed’s doing. Romanian goalkeeper Horațiu Moldovan dawdled on the ball deep inside his box after taking a back pass from his defender as he was closed down by a relentless Ahmed. The Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder stripped Moldovan of possession and then kept his composure to slot the ball home into an empty net. 

Ahmed ran himself ragged before being subbed out in the 64th minute, but not before he distinguished himself with his two-way play in helping to stunt Romania’s attacking endeavours while at the same time playing the role of playmaker. Canada’s best moments in the final third of the pitch came about as a result of Ahmed’s deft touch on the ball and his excellent distribution. 

It was a great bounce-back display by Ahmed, who was outstanding in Canada’s 6-0 win over Honduras in Vancouver in its Gold Cup-opening match. But he ended up missing the rest of the tournament after suffering an ankle injury against Curaçao in the second match of the group stage. 

Competition for playing time and opportunities under Marsch ahead of the World Cup is fierce, especially amongst the midfielders as Canada has so many different options. Ahmed was able to put the Gold Cup injury behind him on Friday and remind Marsch what he’s capable of doing in big games. 

“We know Ali’s really important. He’s one of our most complete midfielders. He understands the behaviours that we want, the tactics that we want. He’s an incredibly important person. I knew when he went down at the Gold Cup that that was going to hurt us. I thought he played great,” Marsch said. 

“What a goal, you know? I mean, as a pressing coach, those are the goals that make me the happiest. So, really well done by Ali.” 

Canada’s fullbacks contribute at both ends of the pitch 

Canada was missing three members of its normal four-man defence with captain Alphonso Davies, Moïse Bombito and Alistair Johnston all injured and not with the team for this international window.  

Veteran Derek Cornelius was paired with teenager Luc de Fougerolles in the centre of defence, while Richie Laryea and Sigur deputized for the absent Davies and Johnston at the fullback positions. It has to be said that they weren’t missed. 

Laryea has been one of Marsch’s most trusted foot soldiers, having now played in 18 of the 22 games that the American coach has overseen since his appointment, including appearances in all six matches at the 2024 Copa América. 

“I would say that when looking at the overall squad and the exact mentality that will be necessary for us to be good next summer (at the World Cup), Richie is, in that way, one of the biggest catalysts to get us to where we want to go,” Marsch said in the buildup to Friday’s game. 

The Toronto FC player lived up to that reputation against Romania, providing Canada with dangerous attacking width with his bombing runs down the flanks and his acute defensive awareness in hounding Romania’s attackers. 

The same could be said for Sigur, who shined while playing the ball out of defence in helping Canada launch counter attacks. He expertly led the charge from the back and then scored his second goal in 10 games with an exquisite finish from inside the penalty area to give Canada a 3-0 lead and snuff out any chance of a Romanian comeback. 

Both Laryea and Sigur put in workmanlike shifts on the defensive side as they effectively neutralized Andrei Ratiu, Alex Dobre and Dennis Man, three of Romania’s most dangerous wide players. 

“We know playing against Dennis Man and playing against Alex Dobre that these are very aggressive, good 1-v-1 attacking players. And specifically on Richie’s side, also to deal with Ratiu, that was a big challenge on the day, and I thought they both played really well. They were both very aggressive. They were good on the ball. I thought Nico and Richie delivered big games and were a big reason that we were able to control their attacking players for most of the match,” Marsch offered.