Jonathan David scored in the 74th minute to give Canada a 1-0 victory over Peru on Tuesday night in the Copa America, marking their first win against a South American team in 24 years.
Peru played with one player less after Miguel Araujo received a red card in the 59th minute for a high tackle on Jacob Shaffelburg, a decision confirmed after a video review.
Under new coach Jesse Marsch, Canada secured their first win in four matches and defeated a South American team for the first time since beating Colombia 2-0 in the 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup final.
David’s goal, his 27th for Canada, ended their team’s scoreless streak of 391 minutes, with most of his goals coming in competitive matches.
The game was briefly halted in first-half stoppage time when an assistant referee collapsed on the non-shaded part of the stadium and required medical attention. He was stretchered off the field after briefly getting to his feet.
Canada, participating in their first Copa America, bounced back from a 2-0 opening loss to defending champion Argentina, while Peru started with a 0-0 draw against Chile.
Next, Canada (1-1) will face Chile in Orlando, Florida, to close out Group A, while Peru (0-1-1) will take on Argentina in Miami Gardens, Florida, both matches happening on Saturday—the top two teams from the group advance to the quarterfinals.
Peru reached the semifinals in 2021 but struggled to score in recent matches, failing to find the net in nine of their last 12 games.
David’s goal came after Cyle Larin assisted Jacob Shaffelburg, who crossed the ball. David took two touches and scored from near the penalty spot, hitting the ball off the far post. He now trails Larin by two goals, who is Canada’s all-time leading scorer.
Canada goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau made a crucial diving save in stoppage time and also punched away a free kick to secure the victory.
