Canada's best goal of World Cup run came in Switzerland loss, writes Vancouver sports observer
A stunning, near-perfect play involving three secondary players — scored without the ball touching the ground — has one local writer captivated.
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While Canada lost to Switzerland 2-0 at BC Place on June 24, one goal from the match has captured the imagination of a local sports observer: a stunning team effort that started in Canada's own half and finished in the back of the net with the ball barely touching the ground.
The play began with 20-year-old centreback Luc de Fougerolles pinging a gorgeous ball from his own half onto the foot of sprinting midfielder Nathan Saliba. Saliba took one touch to control with his right foot as the ball dropped over his right shoulder at the top of the 18-yard box, then spun around to take another touch with his left foot and arc a perfectly placed cross into the path of charging forward Promise David. Running at near full speed, David reached his right boot across his body and nicked the ball out of the air and past the keeper.
From first touch to last, the ball barely touched the ground—or at most possibly grazed the grass on Saliba's second touch.
What made the goal even cooler was the trio that combined to score it. All three were secondary players coming into the tournament. de Fougerolles slid into the starting lineup only because of an injury to star defender Moïse Bombito. Saliba was thrust into a crucial central midfield role only after the gruesome leg injury to Ismaël Koné. And Promise David started the game on the bench, coming in as a substitute just one minute before scoring.
The observer noted other standout goals from the tournament, including a full-field effort from Kylian Mbappé and a near-goal from Michael Olise that hit the post, but returned repeatedly to Canada's interconnected play as the most captivating moment witnessed at BC Place.
