Alphonso Davies speaks on heartbreaking Canada loss to Uruguay
Soccer Canada will not be on the podium at the 2024 Copa America after their fairytale run came to a disappointing end on Saturday.
After Jonathan David gave Canada a late 2-1 lead in the 80th minute, Uruguay stormed back with the equalizer in extra time to force the third-place game to penalties.
The first two shooters for each team managed to find the back of the net before Canada’s Ismael Kone failed to score, opening a window for Uruguay, who scored on all four of their shots. In the end, it came down to Canadian captain Alphonso Davies to keep things going, and while his shot fooled the Uruguay goalkeeper, it could not fool the crossbar.
It was as heartbreaking of a loss that Canada could go through.
URUGUAY TAKES 3RD PLACE
Heartbreak for Canada as they fall short to Uruguay in penalty kicks.#CA2024 pic.twitter.com/VSsFg3CZcy
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) July 14, 2024
The sting of defeat may make this tournament a hard one for many Canadian soccer fans to swallow, but fourth place in a Copa America tournament is an amazing accomplishment by this team and Soccer Canada’s best-ever finish.
Even with the loss, Canadian players, including Davies, were happy with how they played.
“[Penalties] are very cruel,” Davies told reporters after the match. “Overall, I’m proud of my team. To come into this competition, very first time, to compete with very good countries, very good football players.
“Coming this far is an achievement that will live with us forever.”
"Overall, I'm proud of my team"
Alphonso Davies speaks about his team's performance after a tough loss in penalty kicks.#CA2024 pic.twitter.com/GGEhE2Vlqc
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) July 14, 2024
Canada’s head coach Jesse Marsch, who is coming off a very passionate rant before the third-place game, echoed those sentiments from Davies, saying he was very proud of how his players handled themselves against such elite competition.
“I learned that they’re much smarter than I could have hoped,” Marsch said after the match. “The way we played, the way we challenged the opponents we played against, I thought we set the tone for the pace of the game.
“We didn’t win enough for how we played, we have to figure that out, but we will.”
"I learned that they're much smarter than I could have hoped"
Canada head coach Jesse Marsch on his team's performance at Copa America 2024#CA2024 pic.twitter.com/r2PruIR4ne
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) July 14, 2024
Canada’s run at the Copa America championship came to an end last week after a 2-0 loss to Lionel Messi and Argentina in the semi-finals.
A fourth-place finish is what 48th-ranked Canada will have to settle for in this year’s Copa America, and the focus will now shift to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which is set to have games played in Canada.
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