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Cheeky last-second penalty gives Canada win over Japan in FIFA World Cup tune-up (VIDEO)

Adam Laskaris
Adam Laskaris
|
Nov 17 2022, 4:15 pm
Cheeky last-second penalty gives Canada win over Japan in FIFA World Cup tune-up (VIDEO)
OneSoccer

Lucas Cavallini might not have a club to play for right now, but he’s still got everything to prove for his country ahead of next week’s FIFA World Cup.

Let go by the Vancouver Whitecaps earlier this week, the 29-year-old forward is expected to be a depth piece on Canada’s roster for their biggest international tournament ever.

And called up to the spot in the 95th minute against Japan in a 1-1 draw in a pre-World Cup friendly, Cavallini delivered a cheeky Panenka penalty to give Canada a huge boost of confidence heading into next week.

It took a moment, but Cavallini’s goal eventually beat Japanese keeper Shūichi Gonda to give Canada an iconic victory over the world’s 24th-ranked team.

“Just barely gets over the line! Oh Canada, oh baby!” an eager Gareth Wheeler made the call for OneSoccer.

While Canada fell down 1-0 inside of 10 minutes, Steven Vitoria scored Canada’s other goal via an Atiba Hutchinson assist midway through the first half to even the score at one-all.

Following the match taking place on neutral ground in Dubai, Canada is expected to take on a local side in a 45-minute training session.

The added session is intended to get a bit more game action for its players ahead of next week’s clash against Belgium on Wednesday, November 23.

“This is going to be a real good experience for us tactically”, said John Herdman prior to the Japan match. “We know that the Japanese have been together for a period of time; they’re a very organised team. It’s going to be a good test before going into Belgium and Croatia to get into the international rhythm.”

Upcoming Canada World Cup schedule
Belgium — November 23, 2 pm ET/11 am PT
Croatia — November 27, 11 am ET/8 am PT
Morocco — December 1, 10 am ET/7 am PT

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