Argentina 5 Canada 0
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Call it a learning experience for Canadian soccer.
Maxi Rodriguez led a balanced attack with a pair of goals Monday as Argentina trounced Canada 5-0 in a soccer friendly. The Argentines, ranked seventh in the world, had their way with an overmatched Canadian team that came in ranked 63rd. Angel Di Maria, Carlos Tevez and Sergio Aguerro added goals for Argentina, which earned the victory in front of 65,000 at El Monumental Stadium.
Injuries and club commitments forced Canada to field a mix of youth and experience, with the main goal to get some experience as a group against one of the top sides in the world.
The result: Canada’s worst loss since dropping a 5-1 decision to Czech Republic in November 2003 in Teplice. Canada lost 8-0 to Mexico in July 1993 in Mexico City.
“Today, it was school,” said Canadian coach Stephen Hart.
Even though Canada may not have been a “prestige” friendly for the hosts, the fans reacted to every hard tackle, every close chance and showed how much passion there is in the country for the game.
“There is no friendly match when you are wearing the Argentine uniform,” Argentina coach Diego Maradona said.