(Cincinnati) Matt Turner made two saves in the penalty shootout as the United States beat Canada in the quarter-finals of the Concacaf Gold Cup on Sunday night.
The Americans won the penalty shootout 3-2, tying 2-2 after 120 minutes of play. They joined Panama in the semi-finals.
“He had the last laugh before we hit the field,” United States interim head coach B.J. Callaghan said of Turner. It encourages guys to stay calm and stay dedicated to what they’ve been training on. »
In a match where there were no goals until the 88th minute, USA tied the game when Canadian Scott Kennedy scored an own goal in the 115th minute.
Brandon Vázquez gave the Americans a 1-0 lead with a nice header deflection, but Canada tied the game in stoppage time in the second half. Miles Robinson touched the ball with his forearm in the penalty area and Steven Vitória converted the penalty.
In the 109th minute, the Maple Leaf representatives rocketed ahead when Jacob Shaffelburg made a great run before seeing his shot move the ropes to Turner’s left.
The American goalkeeper recovered in a shootout by stopping Vitória with his right hand. Vázquez then missed the mark, but Turner closed the door again, this time at the expense of Liam Fraser.
“For most of the penalties I had watched in my preparation, the players were no longer on the pitch at the time of the penalty shootout,” Turner explained. I just trusted my instincts and when I do, I’m more successful. »
Cade Cowell, Gianluca Busio and Jesús Ferreira completed their shootout attempt for the Americans. Former CF Montreal Kamal Miller and Jacen Russell-Rowe replied for Canada, which saw Charles-Andreas Brym hit the crossbar to confirm the USA victory.
“Turner is definitely a force at the back for the Americans,” Canada’s head coach John Herdman said. He has very good feet. His management of the game is very good and he can stop penalties. »
The winner of Wednesday’s duel between the United States and Panama will advance to the tournament final. Mexico and Jamaica meet in the other semi-final.
The Americans reached the Gold Cup semi-finals for the 12th straight time since being eliminated in the quarter-finals in 2000.
Earlier in the day, Jamaica shut out Guatemala 1-0 with a 51st-minute goal from Amari’i Bell. The defender scored after accepting a pass from Demarai Gray.
