Canada m17 opens Torneo delle Nazioni
Posted on 25 April 2012 in Men's U-17 Team
Canada's men's U-17 team lost a heartbreaker in added time in its opening match at the Torneo delle Nazioni. Reduced to 10 men with 10 minutes remaining, Canada conceded an added time goal to Israel in the opening match on 25 April 2012. The 60-minute match was played at Športni park Renče in Renče, Slovenia.
Israel's Weismann Show scored the lone goal in added time on a deflection. After Canada cleared with a header off a corner kick, a few Israel passes led to a shot and then deflection that turned into the goal.
"It was an unlucky deflection," said Canadian U-17 coach Sean Fleming. "We almost did everything right, but I guess football goes that way sometimes."
In Canada's first of three matches in three days at the Torneo delle Nazioni in Italy and Slovenia, Canada featured 14 different players. Fullback Aron Mkungilwa was cautioned twice for tackles (once in each half) and was thus ejected in the 50th minute.
"I was very happy with the character of our boys," said Fleming. "After we went down to 10 men, we created four good scoring chances and perhaps should have scored on at least one."
Fleming noted that Canada was perhaps the better side in the first half, but then it faced some difficulty by the experienced Israel side in the second half. The Canadian team settled down, however, for the last 10 minutes until the unfortunate goal was scored.
"At 10 men, they threw men forward and we punished them on the counter attack."
Canada's tour in Italy and Slovenia is the first project for the 1996-born players this 2012 calendar year. This particular project runs 18-30 April, with the Torneo delle Nazioni matches against Israel, Italy (26 April) and Slovenia (27 April). Should Canada finish first or second in its group, it will play two more matches (two teams from each group advance to the semi-final and final phase).
The 26 April match against Italy will kick off at 17.00 local in Bilje, Slovenia.
