VIENNA : First-half goals from Cyle Larin and Jonathan David helped World Cup contenders Canada to a comfortable 2-0 win over tournament hosts Qatar in Friday’s friendly in Vienna.
Larin opened the scoring in the fourth minute when he headed home from a Sam Adekugbe cross before David scored another nine minutes later and pounced on a loose ball after goalkeeper Saad Al Sheeb failed to convert a cross.
Qatar relied on a deep defensive line and offered little in attack, with Abdulaziz Hatem’s powerful long-range shot, knocked over by Milan Borjan, being their best performance of the first half.
Canada coach John Herdman made sweeping changes after the break, including taking Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies in a bid for a third place, but they were thwarted by Qatar, who could have found late consolation through Karim Boudiaf.
Canada, who last played at a World Cup in 1986, play Uruguay in a friendly on Tuesday, with Qatar next up against Chile.