Canada shot itself in the foot. Then did not have time to analyze his injury before shooting himself in the other foot. The Canadians suffered a tough 4-1 defeat against the Japanese on Friday in Niigata, in a friendly match that quickly turned into a thaw.

It’s certainly not the opening that Canada’s interim head coach, Mauro Biello, would have wanted for his first audition. The Impact legend wants to become the permanent coach of the maple leaf.

“We’re disappointed,” Biello agreed after the game. I think we gave them two easy goals, from mistakes that we shouldn’t make against a team of this caliber. »

At first, we were able to blame nervousness. Japan opened the scoring after 90 seconds of play, while the Reds were guilty of a real defensive muddle in front of Milan Borjan’s net.

Were they dazzled by these Japanese stars? The Blue Samurai are the team of the hour in international soccer. Before this match, Japan had scored 18 goals in 4 matches, leaving Turkey and Germany looking for new head coaches.

This shows how difficult the organization of this friendly match was for Canada, whose players also had to travel to the other side of the world. This week, Biello only had one and a half training sessions to prepare his players for this match. It was also the team’s first gathering since the Gold Cup last July.

“We lacked cohesion after a session and a half of training,” he said. I expected that. I didn’t expect everything to be perfect. But there were still good things. »

After the butterflies at the start of the match, the visitors managed to calm things down a little. Alphonso Davies even managed to win a penalty in the 19th minute. Jonathan David, however, came up against goalkeeper Osako Keisuke, and was unable to convert.

Then the meager hopes were dashed in quick succession, in the 39th and 42nd. Davies scored a crazy own goal, and Alistair Johnston was easily beaten in defense in front of his zone, a sequence which ultimately allowed Keito Nakamura to make it 3-0.

“In the first half we had a good 20 minutes where we were able to create that opportunity for the penalty, and you have to score when you have the chance. You play away, and when you make mistakes against these type of players and in front of a team of this quality, they will make you pay for them. »

The reorganization of the half did not have the desired effect, and Canada was this time beaten by a lethal Japanese attack, who scored their 22nd goal in 5 games in the 49th minute.

Junior Hoilett managed to somewhat save the honor of the Canadians in the 89th, by scoring 4-1 while Japan had slowed down.

According to Biello, the final result does not reflect the shape of the match. He spoke of “deflection” for the first Japanese goal, as well as “great sequences” by Canada leading to the blocked penalty and Hoilett’s goal. The technician is also satisfied to have seen his players “unbalance” the opponent at certain moments, by virtue of a good “passing ability”.

“But there are still things we need to improve defensively,” he said. We saw how their speed gave us problems. […] Especially in transition, you have to be able to read the game even faster and put yourself in a good position to correct certain things. »

The aura around the Canadian team has faded since qualifying for the men’s World Cup. Matches like this demonstrate the gulf that separates it from the best selections. But you have to play them, these matches, to be convinced.

Biello also had to deal with the absences of winger Tajon Buchanan, as well as his main asset in midfield, Stephen Eustáquio, who remained in Portugal to treat an injury suffered last Sunday. The loss of Eustáquio, however, allowed Mathieu Choinière to get his first minutes with Canada’s senior team, he who entered in the 62nd.

Up front, Japan has depth to spare, underlines Biello. “That’s why they’re beating all these teams right now. »

“But that’s what we wanted,” added the coach with verve. We wanted our players to face this type of opponent. This is important, because now they will learn from this. They will know how quickly space closes at this level. They will be better because of it. We will grow, and we will be a better team for the Nations League. »

They will need to be, because the November matches also serve as qualifiers for next summer’s Copa América. And the final test for Mauro Biello.