The kick-off was delayed in Ontario by over an hour due to lightning over BMO Field, but it didn’t take the hosts long to threaten their opponents, with Tunisia goalkeeper Abdelmouhib Chamakh alert at his near post to keep out Tani Oluwaseyi’s effort.
The Canucks’ second attempt on goal was soon to arrive, as Nathan Saliba failed to keep his header from underneath the penalty area from flying over the crossbar. It wasn’t all positive news for Canada, though, with defender Ralph Priso forced from the pitch with a troublesome-looking hamstring injury.
Nevertheless, Jesse Marsch’s side were straight back on the attack almost immediately after, as Niko Sigur saw his long-range rocket only redirected away from its intended target by the acrobatic figure of Chamakh.
Yet, regardless of their dominance, Canada would have been behind at HT if it weren’t for Liam Millar. Presented with the simple task of slotting the ball into an unguarded net by Sayfallah Ltaief’s pinpoint pass, Elias Saad couldn’t believe it, as the Canadian attacker tracked back to block the winger’s goalbound effort.
The break in play allowed Tunisia manager Sabri Lamouchi to make two changes - namely, the scorer of the seventh-minute match-winner against Haiti on Sunday, Sebastian Tounekti, and Khalil Ayari.
And it took less than a minute for the Paris Saint-Germain wonderkid to get involved in the contest, though it was for the wrong reasons, as he was the recipient of a needless yellow card. And despite introducing their own set of substitutes just before the hour, the trio couldn’t help Canada break the deadlock.
Ultimately, it was another of Marsch’s alternations, Ali Ahmed, who had the only meaningful effort on goal throughout a quiet second half, as he fired an ambitious strike straight into Chamakh’s arms.
Goalless it was to be, and while Canada avoided the same defensive false start they endured against Iceland in their previous outing, they’ll need a lot more ingenuity in front of goal the next time they play at BMO Field, when opening the WC campaign.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Liam Millar (Canada)
