Canada edged past Venezuela 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the Copa América quarter-finals at AT&T Stadium, securing a semi-final clash with defending champions Argentina, according to a report by Flashscore.
Despite entering the match with three consecutive group stage wins, Venezuela's early dominance didn't translate into goals. Salomón Rondón, already with two goals in the tournament, forced a smart save from Canada's Maxime Crépeau within three minutes.
Against the run of play, Canada struck first in the 13th minute. Jonathan David, after seeing his initial effort blocked by Jon Aramburu, delivered a precise pass to Jacob Shaffelburg, who fired past Rafael Romo to open the scoring. Shaffelburg almost doubled his tally shortly after, but Romo made a brilliant one-handed save to deny him. Canada continued to press, and David missed a golden opportunity to extend their lead, sending a one-on-one chance wide.
As the game progressed, Canada's nerves showed, especially when Cyle Larin blasted his shot over the bar with ample time on his side. Venezuela capitalized on this miss in the 61st minute, when Rondón spotted Crépeau off his line and lobbed the ball into the net from long range, leveling the score.
Canada nearly regained the lead immediately, but Liam Millar's effort was superbly saved by Romo, keeping the match tied. Unable to break through Venezuela's defense again, the game went to penalties.
In the shootout, Crépeau emerged as Canada's hero, saving attempts from Wilker Ángel and Jefferson Savarino. Ismail Ikoné then converted the decisive spot-kick, sending Canada into the semi-finals on their tournament debut. While Canada celebrated a historic victory, Venezuela faced the heartbreak of missing out on a semi-final berth for over a decade.