Bermuda 2 Canada 4

Canada extended their winning streak over Bermuda dating back to the late 1960s at the National Stadium yesterday.

The visiting side went into the international friendly ranked 66 places higher than Bermuda in the Fifa world rankings and demonstrated just why with a dominant and polished display on their way to a comfortable victory over a youthful Bermuda.

Canada were forced to chase the game after defender Jalen Harvey gave Bermuda the lead against the run of play from a set piece. However, Canada hit back twice inside of two minutes through Toronto FC pair Jonathan Osorio and Tosaint Ricketts to take a 2-1 advantage into the break.

Bermuda equalised early in the second half after Lejaun Simmons capitalised on a goalkeeping blunder before late strikes from substitute Jay Chapman and winger Anthony Jackson-Hamel secured the victory Canada’s fluent football warranted.

Canada pressed from the start and created all sorts of problems in the attacking third where they carved out plenty of space with their precision passing that kept Bermuda’s defence on their toes.

Such was the visiting side’s dominance it seemed only a matter of time before they broke through.

However, after absorbing some early pressure Bermuda turned the game on its head when Harvey lashed in the second ball from a corner — his first goal at senior international level — after being afforded too much time and space in the area.

Bermuda threatened again when Osagi Bascome, the Bristol City Under-23 forward, had a shot from just outside the box blocked, while Reggie Lambe, the Bermuda captain, headed Simmons’s cross over the bar.

Despite falling behind, Canada never lost their shape and continued to control the tempo with Ricketts firing a warning shot when he headed Canada captain Marcel De Jong’s cross over the bar during a counterattack down the left.

Apparently, Bermuda did not heed the warning and within two minutes the home side found themselves trailing, much to the dismay of the nearly 2,000 fans in attendance.

Osorio equalised when he tapped in Ricketts’s rebound from close range.

And before the dust had settled Jahquill Hill, the Bermuda goalkeeper, was again picking the ball out of the net after failing to keep out Ricketts’s angled drive that went in off the far post.

That Bermuda trailed by a one-goal margin at the half owed to some outstanding goalkeeping by Hill who went full length to push Jackson-Hamel’s fierce drive around the post and also did well to repel efforts from Osorio and fellow midfielder Will Johnson.

The second half flowed in the same vein as the first with Canada controlling possession only to concede another goal before ultimately pulling away.

Bermuda were gifted an equaliser when substitute goalkeeper Sean Melvin allowed Adam Straith’s back pass to roll under his boot, leaving Simmons with the simple tasking of forcing the ball over the line.

Melvin injured his right thigh trying to recover and was replaced by outfielder Maxim Tissot. Shayne Hollis came off the bench to inject more spark into Bermuda’s attack with his forceful runs.

The North Village forward stood his marker up near the touchline and whipped in a cross that went untouched across the face of goal.

Hollis should have done better on a breakaway after intercepting a poor clearance but scooped his effort over the bar to let Canada off the hook.

William White also failed to connect cleanly with Lambe’s corner as Bermuda enjoyed its best spell of the second half.

Those missed opportunities came back to haunt the home side as Canada put the game to bed with two late strikes.

Chapman put them back in front when he headed in Kyle Bekker’s corner before Jackson-Hamel intercepted Zeko White’s poor back pass to substitute goalkeeper Ajai Daniels and slotted into an empty net.