Celtic star Alistair Johnston reaches Copa America semi-finals following late-night drama: how he played

Celtic defender Alistair Johnston will go to the Copa America semi-finals after Canada eliminated Venezuela overnight.

Nashville forward Jacob Shaffelburg opened the scoring for the Canadians after 13 minutes, before former Newcastle United and Everton striker Salomon Rondon equalized in the 64th minute.

The score remained 1-1 until the end of the 90th minute, when the match was decided by a spot shootout rather than extra time, as per Copa America rules.

Both teams then missed their second and third penalty penalties before Marseille star Ismael Kone scored to split the two sides and advance Canada to the semi-finals against Lionel Messi’s Argentina.

It’s a fantastic feat for the Canadians, who are only now starting out on a new adventure under head coach Jesse Marsch. They will now play Argentina for the chance to advance to the final, which will take place on Tuesday, July 9th (Wednesday, 1am UK time).

Alistair Johnston performs well at the elite level.
Johnston, the Bhoys’ star, was once again a superb performer for Canada, guiding them through nerve-racking situations and demonstrating a steely determination to minimize Venezuela’s prospects.

He won five of his seven tackles and an outstanding 11 of his 14 duels. His confrontational streak serves him well on the international stage. The Celtic defender is enjoying the tournament.

According to stat-tracking website FotMob, the right-back received a respectable match rating of 7.4. Except for his match against world-class Argentina, he has never dropped below a seven in the competition.

He’ll now have the opportunity to compete against the world champions again. Canada will be dreaming of a historic final, especially after Argentina narrowly defeated Ecuador on penalties.

Best of luck to Johnston and his team!