Canada got off to an excellent start in their friendly game against Scotland, as the encounter saw some compact defending that paved the way for the North America team to grab a satisfactory result in Edinburgh. An under-strength Canadian side held Scotland to a 1-1 draw at the Easter Road Stadium on Wednesday - CanMNT initially took the early lead in the 11th minute thanks to a brilliant finish from Fraser Aird, but later Steven Naismith got the equalizer for Scotland in the 35th minute. Canada caretaker coach Michael Findlay was on the sideline for the CanMNT instead of the recently appointed manager Octavio Zambrano, who's expected to take charge of the CanMNT in subsequent international assignments.
A special night for Fraser Aird
Fraser Aird early strike on Wednesday night will be one moment he will always love to remember for the rest of his soccer career. Not only did the attacking midfielder notched his first international goal account for Canada, but it came against a country he initially played for as a youth. No doubt, Fraser Aird's goal may not have given Canada the winner, but it will certainly be a special one for him.
The two CanMNT danger-men
The both attacking Canadians that made a real test for themselves despite the absence of several CanMNT regulars were Fraser Aird and Junior Hoilet. Fraser Aird did not only score the only goal for Canada but made significant contributions as he was constantly involved in the CanMNT up-front tormenting the Scottish defenders, While Junior Hoilet was also a threat in the Scottish back-line as he made several aggressive runs down the-left-flank.
Canadian Compact defending
The CanMNT may have taken the early lead in the 11th minute, but the CONCACAF side had to defend for the most of the game massively. Although the CanMNT were out-possessed by a 63.1-36.9 record on Wednesday night - But their defensive ability to stay compacted and stiff kept the Scottish away from sighting a goal-bound chance especially in the second half.
The only mistake the Canadian defense made was in the 34th minute when a defender failed to adequately clear the ball that gave Steven Naismith a golden chance to level the scoreline for Scotland. Nevertheless, the CanMNT did a fantastic defensive job.
