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Copa América: Canada Edges Out Venezuela On Penalties To Move Into Semi-finals
Canada managed to secure their spot in the semi-finals of the Copa América by triumphing over Venezuela in a dramatic penalty shootout at the AT&T Stadium.
The game kicked off with Venezuela asserting early dominance, with Salomon Rondon testing Canada’s goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau with a fierce shot within the first few minutes.
However, it was the Canada who struck first after Jon Aramburu had prevented Jonathan David’s goalbound effort from crossing the line, the Lille forward delivered a pinpoint pass to the feet of Jacob Shaffelburg, allowing his fellow frontman to fire the ball past Rafael Romo and break the deadlock.
As Venezuela pushed to find an equalizer, the match intensified, with both teams creating opportunities to score. Jonathan David, a key figure for Canada throughout the tournament, came close to extending their lead but was denied by Rafael Romo’s exceptional save.
The momentum shifted when Rondon capitalized on a moment of indecision from Crepeau to score a stunning long-range goal, bringing Venezuela back into the game.
Determined to restore their lead, Canada almost did from the restart. Liam Millar, though, was left looking at the ground in bewilderment when Romo somehow got a touch on his attempt to keep things level.
With the match ending in a deadlock after 90 minutes, the fate of both teams was left to be decided by a penalty shootout.
Crepeau turned out to be Canada’s hero as he saved spot-kicks from Wilker Angel and Jefferson Savarino before Ismail Ikone netted the winning spot-kick to send Marsch’s side through to the final four.
Canada will face defending champions Argentina in New Jersey on Tuesday for a chance to play in the 14 July final. The semi-final will be a rematch of the tournament’s opener, in which the defending champions Argentina claimed a 2-0 win.
Les Rouges are the fourth Concacaf team to reach the semi-finals of Copa América, after Mexico, Honduras and the United States.
