Canada settled for a 1-1 draw in a friendly against Azerbaijan on Friday morning in Austria.
It was a bright start for Canada as FC Dallas striker Tesho Akindele put them ahead over Azerbaijan just before the halftime break. Midfielder Scott Arfield slipped a box across the box, which Akindele settled and struck back toward the far post.
Azerbaijan equalized after the halftime on a penalty kick called in the 57th minute when midfielder Dimitrij Nazarov easily put away his spot kick.
Box Score
- 43' - CAN - Tesho Akindele (Scott Arfield)
- 58' - AZE - Dimitrij Nazarov (PK)
- Full box score
- Stats
Three Things
EXPERIMENTING FOR THE FUTURE?: Canada coach Benito Floro played what appeared to be a somewhat experimental starting XI. Although Les Rouges had some injuries -- including to goalkeeper Milan Borjan, midfielder Will Johnson and usual defensive piece Atiba Hutchinson -- he also seemed to be trying out some new ideas, benching Orlando City SC striker Cyle Larin and giving forward Michael Petrasso his first start. Floro handed the start to goalkeeper Simon Thomas, considered Canada's third-string choice. Notably, New York Red Bulls defender Karl Ouimette played his first minutes since the shocking kick to the back that left one USL player suspended from the lower-division league for the season.
A MIXED RESULT: Canada is ranked No. 93 is the latest FIFA world rankings, which came out on Thursday, while Azerbaijan is ranked No. 138. From that standpoint, Canada won't be too happy with the draw. But the fact that this wasn't Canada's best-possible line-up should be of comfort to Canadian fans. After all, Les Rouges did still largely dominate, holding the advantage in possession (60 percent to 40 percent) and shots (11-8), and Azerbaijan only found the net on a penalty kick.
AGGRESSIVE AKINDELE: Although the match may have lacked fireworks, Tesho Akindele did his part to keep things interesting. His goal for Canada was a composed, clean finish and the FC Dallas striker was Canada's most aggressive attacking threat all day. In the 24th minute, he ripped a shot off the crossbar that may linger in the minds of Canada fans who wanted to see their side earn a confidence-boosting win in an important World Cup qualifying year.
Up Next
CAN: International friendly on Friday, June 7 vs. Uzbekistan at Thermenstadion (10 a.m. ET)
