Hello and welcome to everyone joining us in the early hours of Sunday (IST). We will bring to you the build-up as well as live updates from the Group B clash between Curacao and Canada in the Concacaf Gold Cup.
Hello and welcome to everyone joining us in the early hours of Sunday (IST). We will bring to you the build-up as well as live updates from the Group B clash between Curacao and Canada in the Concacaf Gold Cup.
The match will kick off at 4:30am IST. The Curacao vs Canada, Concacaf Gold Cup 2025 group B clash will be live streamed on the Concacaf YouTube channel in India. It will not be live streamed on any TV channel in the country.
Ahead of the start of matchday 2, Canada lead Group B with three points, while Curacao and El Salvador have one apiece and Honduras are yet to open their account. A win for Canada would take them to six, which would confirm their advancement as only one team could hypothetically overtake them from the group in that scenario. Remember that two teams from each group qualify for the last-eight stage.
Over at the FIFA Club World Cup, Borussia Dortmund beat Mamelodi Sundowns 4-3 before Inter Milan edged out Urawa Red Diamonds 2-1. In Group F, Fluminense are currently taking on Ulsan HD.
This is how Canada line up ahead of kick-off in Houston, Texas:
And here is Curacao's line-up for the all-important encounter:
The match officials and teams stride onto the pitch in Houston. National anthems coming up, first for Curacao and then Canada, which will be followed by kick-off.
We are underway at the Shell Energy Stadium. Canada attacking from right to left and Curacao from left to right in the first half. Remember that Canada boss Jesse Marsch is missing from the touchline due to a two-game suspension, which means Mauro Biello is in charge tonight.
Canada take the lead in the ninth minute. They benefit from Curacao's defensive lapse to earn a set piece and Nathan Saliba slots it in to set Les Rouges on their way.
After the initial jolt, Curacao have settled into a better rhythm and are knocking on the door, creating chances. They have come close to scoring twice and would be hoping to be third time lucky by way of an equaliser.
We are into the final five minutes of the first half and Curacao have done well to prevent Canada from netting their second goal so far, while creating opportunities of their own. The gulf between the two teams, on paper, is huge and even a 0-1 deficit at half-time would be a creditable outcome for Curacao.
That's the end of the first half. After three minutes of added time, the referee blows the whistle and the scoreline stays at 1-0 in Canada's favour. It's been a spirited show by La Familia Azul, who have matched Les Rouges' pace and intensity thus far.
The second half gets underway in a frantic manner, with Curacao, attacking from right to left, coming out on the front foot. Remember that the Caribbean nation has never even escaped defeat against a Northern American side.
Canada garner a free-kick in a potentially dangerous position but are unable to make it count. Curacao, meanwhile, replace Jearl Margaritha with Jeremy Antonisse and Leandro Bacuna with Godfried Roemeratoe.
So close, yet so far for Curacao. Jurgen Locadia puts the ball in the back of the net in the 66th minute, but the referee calls for a VAR check for offside. After a tense wait, Locadia is ruled to be just offside, and the goal is disallowed, much to La Familia Azul's collective disappointment.
Another Curacao goal disallowed for offside, this time straightaway by the referee without VAR's intervention. The minutes are ticking by in the encounter and Canada are fervently defending their one-goal lead.
They have finally done it! After twice netting and being denied goals by offside, Curacao taste success the third time with a stoppage-time sizzler from Jeremy Antonisse. The equaliser comes in the fourth of nine added minutes, and thus we await the final fate of this fascinating match.
It's over. The full-time whistle is sounded and Curacao have done it. They have held a Northern American team to a draw for the first time in their history. This is a special moment for the Caribbean outfit, making them believe that they can indeed fight with the big boys.