CHARLOTTE, North Carolina – For the second straight Concacaf Gold Cup, Canada has reached the quarterfinal stage of the tournament thanks to a 7-0 win over Cuba in its Group A finale on Sunday.
Going into the encounter it was crucial for Canada to collect the three points and Canada Head Coach John Herdman feels like his team brought the right passion to the game, especially forwards Lucas Cavallini and Jonathan David, who each scored hat-tricks.
“I think the forwards were hungry going into this game, with the team there was a good energy there,” said Herdman in his post-match press conference.
“We knew it was going to be a hot day. If we hadn’t brought that energy, we know that Cuba could have gotten that injection and made it tough for us. I think there was a clarity from all the players. I think Cava and Johnny were given some great opportunities from some good play, so all credit to the boys for being able to bring that focus three games into the tournament. They took the step we needed,” added Herdman.
At the other end, the Canada defense consisting of the likes of GK Milan Borjan and defenders Marcus Godinho, Doneil Henry, Derek Cornelius and Ashtone Morgan, registered its second clean sheet of the 2019 Gold Cup, providing a boost of confidence in preparation for Saturday’s quarterfinal.
“The team was focused on getting the result, when you are pushing for goals it always leaves you a little bit exposed, so all credit to that partnership which is starting to evolve, which is Doneil and Derek Cornelius and obviously Milan Borjan who is a rock back there. But I was impressed with Godinho today. He’s shown that he’s coming along and Ashtone Morgan coming on as a left back showed the quality that he has. We’re moving into the quarterfinals, clean sheets, lots of goals, so the team is tracking,” concluded Herdman.
