ANALYSIS + HIGHLIGHTS: CanMNT held to scoreless draw vs. Tunisia in final March friendly
The Canadian men's national team ended its March window with another draw on Tuesday night at BMO Field, this time battling to a 0-0 draw with Tunisia after a lightning-delayed kickoff.
After a disappointing start to the previous friendly against Iceland, Canada kicked off this one with more energy. Jesse Marsch fielded a team with six changes; as expected, Max Crépeau started in goal, and Tani Oluwaseyi partnered Jonathan David up top with Ismaël Koné slotting into midfield. At the back, Marsch replaced Kamal Miller with Ralph Priso, while Liam Millar and Marcelo Flores got the nod on the wings (with Tajon Buchanan suspended).
Tunisia pressed with more intent than Iceland had, but Canada were still comfortable moving the ball out of the back – Priso in particular being a key outlet. Millar and Flores were both bright as well, each of them bringing explosive energy out wide and driving play forward when the ball came to them. Flores covered a lot of ground, drifting far into the centre of the pitch in search of the ball, opening space on the left flank for either himself or Richie Laryea to run into.
Unfortunately, Priso's night would be cut short before the half-hour mark. A hamstring injury picked up in the 25th minute meant he couldn't continue, and Kamal Miller was called into action early.
The match's first real chance came for Tunisia in the 35th minute, as they caught Canada on the counter-attack after a corner. A quick ball forward sent two Tunisian attackers in on goal alone, and a pass across to take Crépeau out of the occasion left Elias Saad in front of an empty net. However, Millar arrived on the scene just in time after a lung-busting run from the other end of the pitch, and he slid across to block the shot at the goal line and keep the game scoreless.
WHAT A SAVE! 😳
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) April 1, 2026
Liam Millar spares the CanMNT's 🇨🇦 blushes and stops a 2-on-1 from Tunisia with a sliding block 😎
0-0 at HT in this one: 2nd half coming up next on OneSoccer & TSN 🔴 pic.twitter.com/mA9fAFrBmQ
A 0-0 score at halftime was certainly better for Canada than the 2-0 deficit against Iceland, and they showed significantly more promise in the opening half of this game. However, they still needed to find a way to break through, and to unlock Jonathan David in the box.
Both teams made changes around the hour mark, and the game opened up significantly for the last half-hour. Flores continued to thrive on the left, as he and Laryea created most of Canada's chances from wide – but still the final ball into the box eluded them.
A set of four substitutions gave Canada some new life in the final 15 minutes, as Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty checked in for his senior debut alongside Junior Hoilett, Jacen Russell-Rowe and Ali Ahmed. Still though, they struggled to find paths into the box. Canada played a number of speculative crosses and attempted through balls, but Tunisia's organization allowed them to clear away any serious danger.
After just two minutes of stoppage time at the end of an uneventful second half, the two teams had to settle for a share of the spoils. Canada, who out-shot the visitors 14 to four and had 59 per cent possession, finished as the more frustrated side, having failed to score an open play goal in their two friendlies this window.
Canada will therefore head into June, and their final two World Cup tune-up friendlies, with plenty of questions left to answer. Now that their entire slate of group stage opponents is set, they'll be laser-focused on how to beat Switzerland, Qatar, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Box Score
Lineups
Canada: Crépeau; Sigur, Priso (Miller 27'), Waterman (Cornelius 58'), Laryea (Marshall-Rutty 76'); Flores (Ahmed 76'), Saliba (Osorio 58'), Koné, Millar (Hoilett 76'); J. David (Russell-Rowe 76'), Oluwaseyi (Jebbison 58')
Tunisia: Chamakh; Neffati (Elloumi 57'), Ghram (Chaouat 85'), Rekik, Abdi (Ben Hamida 57'); Skhiri, Khedira (Gharbi 70'); Ltaief (Ayari 46'), Ben Slimane, Saad (Mahmoud 57'); Ben Farhat (Tounekti 46')
Goals
None
Discipline
29' – Yellow: Tani Oluwaseyi (Canada)
31' – Yellow: Elias Saad (Tunisia)
46' – Yellow: Khalil Ayari (Tunisia)
54' – Yellow: Joel Waterman (Canada)
74' – Yellow: Liam Millar (Canada)
90+1' – Yellow: Junior Hoilett (Canada)
Player of the Match
Marcelo Flores, Canada
Flores earned his start with a great substitute performance against Iceland, and he showed on Tuesday why he could be a secret weapon for Canada at the World Cup. The Tigres UANL attacker was the most dangerous player on the pitch, and the vast majority of Canada's best moments came through him. In 75 minutes of work, Flores completed 93 per cent of his 40 attempted passes (32 of them in the attacking half), had four successful dribbles and made eight progressive carries.
What’s Next?
Up next for Canada is the final two friendlies before the 2026 World Cup. They'll take on Uzbekistan in Edmonton on Monday, June 1, before playing the Republic of Ireland on Friday, June 5. After that, it'll be the World Cup group stage opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina, in Toronto on June 12.
