Canada and Ireland Battle to 1-1 Draw in World Cup Send-Off

Chiedozie Ogbene crashed Canada’s World Cup send-off party with a poacher’s finish, as Ireland battled back for a 1-1 draw in Montreal on Friday night.

What was supposed to be a confident final rehearsal for Jesse Marsch’s side turned into a reminder of how thin the margins will be this summer.

Canada strike first, with a slice of luck

Canada’s breakthrough came in the 24th minute, and they barely had to earn it.

Stephen Eustáquio whipped in a corner with his usual venom, the ball flashing into a crowded six-yard box. Ireland defender Jake O’Brien, stationed at the near post, could only watch in horror as the delivery ricocheted off him and into his own net. No Canadian touch, no clinical finish — just pressure, chaos, and a stroke of fortune for the hosts.

For a team still without its captain and talisman Alphonso Davies, it felt like a welcome gift. The goal settled Canada, who had beaten Uzbekistan 2-0 in Edmonton earlier in the week, and for a spell they dictated the tempo, moving the ball with purpose and pinning Ireland back.

But they never killed the game.

Ogbene pounces after costly challenge

Ireland grew into the contest after the break, and the warning signs were there before the equaliser arrived.

The key moment came when Cyle Larin, starting up front hours after signing a two-year deal with Southampton, lunged into a reckless challenge on Jamie McGrath inside the box. There were few complaints when the referee pointed to the spot. It was the sort of tackle coaches circle in red in film sessions.

Troy Parrott stepped up, looking to punish the error. Maxime Crépeau guessed right, springing to his side to punch away the penalty with strong hands. For a heartbeat, it looked like a defining save in his personal redemption arc.

Then Ogbene arrived.

Alert, alive to the rebound while Canadian defenders hesitated, the forward slammed the loose ball home in the 60th minute. The noise from the Irish support cut through the Montreal night. Canada’s lead, built on an own goal, had vanished in an instant.

Crépeau’s long road back

For Crépeau, the evening still carried weight. The goalkeeper, who missed the 2022 World Cup after breaking his leg in the MLS Cup final with LAFC, has fought his way back to claim the No. 1 shirt ahead of Dayne St. Claire. His penalty stop — even with the rebound converted — underlined why.

He finished with two saves, the most important coming late on. With the game stretched and legs tiring, substitute Mason Melia burst through in the 85th minute, eyeing a statement winner for an Ireland side that won’t be in this year’s tournament. Crépeau stood tall, read the move, and smothered the chance. It was a sharp, decisive intervention from a goalkeeper who knows how quickly dreams can be taken away.

Marsch shuffles the pack, Davies still missing

Marsch used the night to tinker as much as to tune.

At center back, Luc de Fougerolles came into the XI, replacing Moïse Bombito. The defender had been seen icing his leg after being withdrawn at halftime against Uzbekistan and is still working his way back from a fractured tibia. De Fougerolles’ inclusion offered the coaching staff another data point in a back line that will be tested heavily in June.

The bigger absence, though, loomed higher up the pitch. Davies, still nursing a hamstring injury picked up with Bayern Munich, remained unavailable. There is no timeline for his return, and every match he misses adds another layer of anxiety to Canada’s preparations. Without him, Canada’s attack lacked that extra jolt of unpredictability, that ability to turn a half-chance into a headline.

World Cup countdown begins

The draw means Canada leave their final warm-up with questions still hanging, even as the schedule hardens in front of them.

They open their World Cup campaign on June 12 in Toronto against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Group B, before shifting west to Vancouver for meetings with Qatar on June 18 and Switzerland on June 24. The margins will be tighter, the stakes far higher than they were under the Montreal lights.

A deflected opener, a rash penalty, a rebound no one attacked quickly enough — all small details in a friendly, but the kind of details that decide summers.

Canada have their tune-up behind them now. The next time they walk out, there will be no second chances.