Celtic defender Alistair Johnston’s Copa America journey will continue into the semi-finals after Canada knocked Venezuela out of the tournament overnight.
Nashville forward Jacob Shaffelburg got the scoring underway for the Canadians after 13 minutes before former Newcastle United and Everton strike Salomon Rondon equalised in the 64th minute.
That 1-1 scoreline held until the end of the 90th minute and, per Copa America rules, the match went straight to a penalty shoot-out rather than extra time.
Both teams then missed their second and third spot-kicks before Marseille star Ismael Kone eventually netted the effort to separate the two sides and put Canada through to a semi-final against Lionel Messi’s Argentina.
It’s a brilliant achievement for the Canadians, who are only just embarking on a new journey under head coach Jesse Marsch. They will now play Argentina for the chance to reach the final with the match taking place this coming Tuesday 9th July (Wednesday 1am UK time).
Alistair Johnston performs well again at the elite level
Bhoys star Johnston was again a solid performer for Canada, helping them through nervy moments in the game and showing a steely determination to limit Venezuela’s opportunities.
He won five of his seven tackles and, impressively, won 11 of his 14 duels in total. That combative streak he has serves him well on the international scene. The Celtic defender is relishing this tournament.
The right-back earned a creditable match rating of 7.4 per stat-trackers FotMob. He hasn’t dipped below a seven during the competition except against the world-class Argentina.
He’ll now get the chance to test himself against the world champions again. Canada will be dreaming of a historic final, especially after Argentina only squeaked past Ecuador on penalties themselves.
The best of luck to Johnston and his teammates!