Canadians in action: Davies returns, David dominates
Published
Alphonso Davies returned to the pitch, Jonathan David continued his hot streak and Ismael Kone helped CF Montreal to the next round of the playoffs. Here is a look what Canadians did in Europe and MLS this weekend.
Alphonso Davies, Bayern Munich – The 21-year-old returned to the pitch a week removed from suffering a skull bruise after a boot to the head last weekend and didn’t miss a beat in Bayern Munich’s 5-0 victory over SC Freiburg. The Edmonton, Alta., product fired a left foot shot high over the net in the fifth minute from the edge of the penalty area before getting involved in Bayern’s first strike of the game shortly after. Davies found Leroy Sane in the box, who was turned away by Freiburg keeper Mark Flekken, but winger Serge Gnabry headed home the rebound to put Bayern up 1-0 in the 13th minute. Davies played the entirety of the match as Bayern (5-1-4) moved up into second place in Bundesliga with the win. According to the club, Davies was the fastest player on the pitch Sunday, reaching a top sprint speed of 36 km per hour.
Jonathan David, Lille – David’s hot streak in the Ligue 1 continued this weekend in Lille’s 3-0 win over Strasbourg. The 22-year-old scored in his fourth consecutive game after defender Ismaily drew a penalty shortly before halftime and David converted. He scored his second of the match in the 76th minute off a Tim Weah cross. With the victory, Lille moved into sixth place in. After his two-goal effort, David is tied with Neymar of Paris Saint-Germain for first in Ligue 1 goals with nine.
Ismael Kone, CF Montreal – In its first playoff game since 2016, CF Montreal didn’t disappoint and Kone was a big reason why. Facing Orlando City SC for a spot in the Eastern Conference semifinals, Kone put his team ahead in the 68th minute, finishing a pass from Djordje Mihailovic for the first goal of the match, which Montreal went on to win 2-0. The 20-year-old had three goals in the regular season and continues to climb the depth chart with Canada as the World Cup looms.
Alistair Johnston, CF Montreal – Johnston played the full 90 minutes for CF Montreal on the back end as the team picked up a clean sheet against Orlando City. The 24-year-old had a career season in 2021-22 with four goals and five assists while logging 2,648 minutes in the regular season.