After losing a lead and surviving penalties in an up-tempo match, Canada are through to the Copa America semi-finals for a rematch with Argentina. Check out the best facts and Opta data with our Venezuela vs Canada stats page.
Ismaël Koné sent Canada to their first Copa America semi-final as they overcame Venezuela 4-3 in a penalty shootout to edge a classic encounter.
Jacob Shaffelburg opened the scoring for Canada, only for Salomón Rondón to net a stunning long-range equaliser to take the quarter-final the distance.
With 32 shots shared between the two sides, penalties would decide who would face Argentina at the MetLife Stadium next week. The decisive miss came from Wilker Ángel, with Koné’s stuttering run up allowing him to coolly slot the ball beyond Rafael Romo to secure the victory.
Despite the nerves of playing in their first-ever knockout fixture at the Copa America, it was Canada who would strike the decisive blow early on in Texas.
Having seen appeals for a penalty waved away moments earlier, Shaffelburg dusted himself down to open the scoring, squeezing home Jonathan David’s cross at the near post in the 13th minute.
Jesse Marsch’s side had opportunities to double their advantage, as Shaffelburg saw his effort saved while David fluffed his lines on a chance created by Shaffelburg with only Romo to beat as a pulsating first half came to a close.
Canada’s dominance continued after the break but Cyle Larin was unable to hit the target, and their wastefulness in front of goal was punished spectacularly.
A long ball up front saw Rondón win a tussle with Moïse Bombito, taking aim from just inside the Canada half to lob Maxime Crépeau for a goal of the tournament contender.
David continued to threaten for Canada, chipping the ball in behind for Tani Oluwaseyi who could only find the roof of the net in the final chance of normal time.
Both sides would miss two spot-kicks as the encounter reached sudden death, but Ángel saw his effort saved by Crépeau, handing the responsibility over to Koné, who clinched a landmark victory for Marsch’s side.
Venezuela’s Young Guns Can Be Proud of Their Efforts
Fernando Batista can count his team unlucky following their gut-wrenching exit from the tournament, but his young squad can take pride in their performances at the tournament.
Venezuela battled an onslaught of Canada pressure, but fought back with their own attacking talents, with Rondón’s strike their fourth consecutive game with a goal at the Copa America, their longest run of games of such games in the competition since a run of five in June 2015.
However, hopes of reaching a first semi-final since 2011 were dashed.
Nevertheless, Venezuela can leave the tournament with their heads held high, having equalled their highest goal tally (seven) in a single edition of the tournament.
Canada Through, but Must Improve in Front of Goal
Marsch said he wanted to build something special with Canada, and his side’s run in the Copa America has been nothing short of sensational.
Canada started brightly through Shaffelburg’s early strike, with all three of his international strikes coming in knockout matches. However, it should have been more.
From their 16 shots on goal, seven were on target, with 12 of their efforts coming inside the box. Marsch’s side underperformed their expected goals value for the fourth time in four games.
Despite those underlying statistics, Canada will be hopeful of keeping their fairytale run in the competition alive against Argentina, who they lost to in the opening match of the competition.
Our Opta match centre delivers you all the Venezuela vs Canada stats from their Copa America 2024 knockout clash at AT&T Stadium.
The match centre below includes team and player stats, expected goals data, passing networks, an Opta chalkboard and more. It gives you everything you need to do your own post-match analysis.
Underneath the match centre you can find the official Opta stats on the game as well.
Venezuela vs Canada: Post-Match Facts
- Canada are the fourth Concacaf team to reach the semifinals of the CONMEBOL Copa America and the third to do so in their competition debut, joining Mexico (runner-up in 1993) and Honduras (third place in 2001). The remaining team, the United States, finished third in 1995.
- Salomón Rondón’s goal against Canada, from 39.6 meters out, is the longest-distance goal in a Copa America match since Opta began recording this data in 2011.
- All three goals Jacob Shaffelburg has scored for Canada have come in the knockout stages of official competitions: the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup quarterfinals against the United States, a qualifying match for the 2024 Copa America against Trinidad and Tobago, and the 2024 Copa America quarterfinals against Venezuela.
- Salomón Rondón reached 21 matches in the Copa America, a record for a Venezuelan player in the Cup. Additionally, he scored his seventh goal, becoming the top scorer of La Vinotinto in the competition.
- Canada is unbeaten in three consecutive matches against CONMEBOL opponents (1 win, 2 draws), marking their best unbeaten streak against South American teams.
- Salomón Rondón scored for the second time in a Copa America knockout stage match: today against Canada and in 2016 against Argentina, both in the quarterfinals. Only Juan Arango (2) had previously scored multiple goals for Venezuela in the knockout rounds of the competition (against Uruguay in the 2007 quarterfinals and against Peru in the 2011 third-place match).
- Venezuela (3 draws) and Paraguay (1 draw) are the only CONMEBOL teams against whom Canada remains unbeaten in all competitions (they have never faced Bolivia).
- Canada attempted 16 shots against Venezuela, their most in a Copa America match. Seven of them were on target, the same number of on-target shots they accumulated in the entire group stage against Argentina, Chile, and Peru.
- Rafael Romo is the first Venezuelan goalkeeper to save a shot in a penalty shootout in the Copa America. In 2011, when La Vinotinto decided their semifinal match against Paraguay on penalties, Renny Vega did not save any of La Albirroja’s shots in the shootout.
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