MONTREAL— Jesse Marsch’s Canada side dominated possession, created by far the most chances and won duels all over the field, but were ultimately pinned back to a 1-1 draw with the Republic of Ireland in the final friendly before the World Cup begins.In front of a packed and boisterous Saputo Stadium, Canada started brightly and, after considerable early pressure, opened the scoring after 23 minutes. Stephen Eustaquio, captain in the injured absence of Alphonso Davies, whipped in a corner that Irish defender Jake O’Brien could only turn into his own net.Canada had dominated the game, and missed a number of good chances, when they gifted Ireland an equaliser. Cyle Larin’s reckless high-footed challenge resulted in a penalty which Troy Parrott stepped up to take. Maxime Crepeau made an impressive initial save but Chiedozie Ogbene slammed in the rebound.While this was not Ireland’s strongest side — some key players were absent — it was nonetheless an encouraging overall performance for Canada to sign off their tournament preparation, following on from the 2-0 win over Uzbekistan in Edmonton on Monday.Here Joshua Kloke analyses the key talking points of Canada’s final warm up game before the World Cup.Could wasteful attack bring problems at the World Cup?This was, and was not, a typical Canadian performance all at once.It wasn’t typical in that Canada maintained the lion’s share of the ball. They’re not the type of team that enjoys two-thirds of the possession and out-shoots the opposition by a ratio of three-to-one. If they can earn those kinds of numbers against Bosnia and Herzegovina and Qatar, they’ll give themselves a chance at advancing out of the group stage.However: it was a typical Canadian performance in that they struggled, once again, to score. Canada cannot afford to be this wasteful with their chances at the World Cup.Liam Millar burst into the box on multiple occasions and sent his shot off the mark. He led all Canadians with five shots. He still has no goals to show for it. The winger’s energy was a bright spot, but the final product needs to be there.Liam Millar needs to add ruthless finishing to his game (Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)Ismael Kone, Cyle Larin and Jonathan David all had multiple shots. But again, the person credited with the goal for Canada was not wearing a Canadian jersey. Watching David lay off a second-half pass close to Ireland’s goal instead of taking a shot and then seeing Larin’s shot just go wide? Emblematic of much of the evening.This team’s attack cannot expect to have the results they want if they continue to miss the mark, literally and figuratively.Crepeau repaying Marsch’s faithJesse Marsch will feel completely justified in picking Maxime Crepeau as his World Cup starting goalkeeper.First, the tear rolling down Crepeau’s cheek during the Canadian national anthem in his hometown was a reminder of how emotionally invested Maxime Crepeau is in this World Cup. Teammates will see that.Teammates will also see how Crepeau did everything possible to maintain the draw for Canada.Crepeau dove to stop Troy Parrot’s original penalty before Parrot banged in the rebound. Yet in the seconds afterwards, Crepeau rallied his team around him motivating them to turn the page and keep going. That’s the attitude Marsch wanted, and it worked: Canada dominated afterwards.Late in the match, Crepeau made another aggressive save, this time on Spurs forward Mason Melia, after a Canada defensive breakdown. That save maintained the draw. That save also brought the loudest roar of approval of the night from the Montreal crowd.Crepeau left zero doubt about what he’s capable of as a pure tournament goalkeeper.No Bombito? No problemSo much of the talk around Canada’s time in Montreal has been the health of one of the city’s soccer heroes, Moise Bombito. The powerful centre-back exited Canada’s friendly against Uzbekistan earlier in the week after just 30 minutes. That was Bombito’s first match back since breaking his leg with Nice in October. Bombito then did not train in the day before the friendly against Ireland, only exacerbating concern that he would not be fit for Canada’s World Cup opener.“(Bombito) had a bit of a reaction after the game against Uzbekistan, so it’s taking a bit more time,” Jesse Marsch said of Bombito.Look, Bombito is one of Canada’s most important players. And it would have ben special for him to dominate in front of friends and family.However, in his absence, Canada should breathe a little easier watching Luc de Fougerolles step up in Bombito’s absence. That change was the only one Marsch made from his two starting lineups this week. De Fougerolles might be just 20, but he stepped confidently into challenges, moved the ball out of the back with smarts and precision and never looked out of position.Luc de Fougerolles battles Corrie Ndaba of Ireland (Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)We are trending towards a starting centre-back duo of De Fougerolles and Derek Cornelius (who also played well against Ireland) on June 12 against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Ireland’s goal was not the result of either of them.It might not be how Marsch drew things up months ago. But both of their performances without Bombito proved it might work well.What next for Canada?June 12: Canada v Bosnia and Herzegovina, World Cup Group B, Toronto, 3pm ET (8pm GMT)Jun 6, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms