Canada beats Guatemala 3-2, but Davies hurt in first leg

Canada beat Guatemala 3-2 in the first leg of a Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal in Guatemala City on Friday night, but captain Alphonso Davies left the game early with a lower-body injury.

“It’s a lower-body injury right now,” Canadian assistant coach Mauro Biello said after the game. “They’re going to assess him over the next couple days here and then we’ll get a better idea on the extent of the injury.”

Davies slipped inside Canada’s 18-yard box in the fifth minute, got up and tried to block a shot, then signalled to the bench, Biello said. The Bayern Munich star walked to the sideline without assistance and was not seen limping. Biello said the medical staff will take a closer look before any decision is made on next steps. Head coach Jesse Marsch said Davies was at 100 per cent in training this week.

Canada led 3-0 at halftime. Tani Oluwaseyi scored in the 18th minute, Liam Millar made it 2-0 in the 28th, and Jonathan David added a third in first-half stoppage time. Oscar Santis pulled one back for Guatemala in the 54th minute at Estadio El Trebol. An own goal by Canadian defender Luc de Fougerolles in stoppage time cut the final margin to one.

“We’re very happy with how our forwards played, especially in the first half,” Biello said.

Marsch was sent off in the 64th minute after being shown a red card. Biello said the bench was making a change at the time and did not know exactly what the decision was. “So we were quite surprised,” he said.

The injury adds to a long list of absences for Canada. Davies missed most of the FIFA World Cup earlier this year with a hamstring injury and was away on his honeymoon for Canada’s fall friendlies against Chile in Toronto, Peru in Montreal and the United States in Minnesota. He has made 15 appearances for Bayern Munich this season, with three goals and three assists, the Canadian Press reported.

Midfielders Jonathan Osorio and Jacob Shaffelburg were ruled out this week, joining sidelined regulars Stephen Eustáquio, Cyle Larin, Derek Cornelius, Alfie Jones and Alistair Johnston. We reported Osorio and Shaffelburg’s absences in our preview of the match, and the squad that travelled was named earlier in our squad story.

The second leg is Monday night at BMO Field in Toronto. The aggregate winner advances to the Nations League Finals in March and qualifies directly for the 2027 Gold Cup, according to Concacaf.

Canada’s three-goal cushion at halftime means a one-goal lead heading home, with the status of its captain still unclear. Guatemala’s two late goals ensure the tie is not settled before Monday.

Sources: The Canadian Press; Concacaf; ESPN.

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