Canada defeated Guatemala 3-2 in Guatemala City on Friday in the opening leg of their Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal series, though the victory was tempered by an early injury to Alphonso Davies and a red card shown to head coach Jesse Marsch.
Early Goals Build a First-Half Lead
The 2026/2027 Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal first leg at Estadio Manuel Felipe Carrera saw Canada establish a commanding 3-0 advantage before halftime.
Tani Oluwaseyi opened the scoring for Canada in the 18’, running onto a backheel flick from Jonathan David down the right flank before finishing with his left foot from the top of the box. Liam Millar doubled the advantage for The Reds in the 28’ from close range following a rebound off the left post.
During stoppage time in the 45+2’, Tajon Buchanan delivered a cross that Jonathan David turned into Canada’s third goal of the match from inside the penalty area. Oscar Santis put Guatemala on the board in the 54th minute with a lofted header inside the box off a delivery from Matthew Evans. Luc De Fougerolles turned an effort from Evans into his own net in the 90+4’ to narrow the final margin.
With four different Concacaf Nations League matches now featuring both a goal and an assist from him, Jonathan David has equaled Omari Glasgow of Guyana for the most such games in the tournament’s history. Tani Oluwaseyi has collected two goals across five career appearances in the tournament, with both scores assisted by Jonathan David, following his earlier goal against the United States in March 2025. Liam Millar paced all players in the match with five total shots and three shots on target, while also ranking second in tackles with three.
For Guatemala, Óscar Santis extended his historical team record to seven goals in the Concacaf Nations League, which is more than double the tally of any teammate, leaving Rubio Rubín and Jehú Fajardo tied behind him with three goals apiece.
The result also broke Guatemala’s run of three consecutive clean sheets in the competition after previous matches against Suriname and El Salvador, with Jamaica having been the last squad to breach their defense back in September during a 3-2 fixture.
Alphonso Davies sustained an injury and had to come off after just 5 minutes of Canada's 3-2 win over Guatemala Canada's assistant coach Mauro Biello: "It's a lower body injury.. we'll get the full extent of it once the doctor takes a look at it and then make a decision on what… pic.twitter.com/Vb3WBufcuf
Alphonso Davies Exits Early With Lower-Body Injury
Alphonso Davies made his first start for Canada since March of 2025, but his evening ended in the sixth minute after he slipped inside the penalty box while defending. He got up and tried to block a shot before signalling to the bench and walking off the sideline without assistance.
“It’s a lower-body injury right now,” said Canadian assistant coach Mauro Biello, as reported by Sportsnet.
“They’re going to assess him over the next couple days here and then we’ll get a better idea on the extent of the injury,” Biello added.
The left-back previously missed the majority of the FIFA World Cup earlier in the year due to a hamstring problem and had recently been deployed on a limited schedule by his club to build back fitness. Having sat out autumn friendlies against Chile, Peru, and the United States, Davies had participated fully in training during the week and logged 15 appearances with three goals and three assists for Bayern Munich this season.
Regarding Alphonso Davies, the initial concern is a recurrence of the muscle injury – but further tests will take place to determine the exact extent [@BILD] pic.twitter.com/VQJejCXQpk
His premature exit adds to an extensive roster absence that already sidelined fellow midfielders Jonathan Osorio and Jacob Shaffelburg this week, alongside long-standing unavailable regulars Stephen Eustáquio, Cyle Larin, Derek Cornelius, Alfie Jones, and Alistair Johnston.
Davies will fly directly back to Munich following the injury to undergo extensive medical examinations with Bayern Munich.
Following his injury against Guatemala, Alphonso Davies will fly directly back to Munich in order to undergo extensive examinations. Bayern fear that Davies has sustained a new muscle injury that would sideline him again [@kicker]
Sideline Disruption and Second Leg in Toronto
Canadian head coach Jesse Marsch was sent off in the 64th minute after receiving a red card from the referee.
“We were just making a change and we don’t know exactly what the decision was, and (the referee) showed the red card,” Biello said.
“So we were quite surprised,” Biello said.