Canada concluded their preparations for the FIFA World Cup with a 1-1 draw against the Republic of Ireland at Saputo Stadium, extending their unbeaten run to eight matches.

The opening stages were lively, with Ireland, known as the Boys in Green, creating the clearest early chance when debutant Dawson Devoy went close to scoring on his senior international debut.

Ireland were made to pay for that missed opportunity as Canada took the lead shortly after the midway point of the first half. Jake O’Brien turned the ball into his own net under pressure following an excellent corner delivery from Stephen Eustáquio.

Coming into the match, Canada had kept six clean sheets in their previous seven outings, meaning Ireland faced an uphill battle to get back into the game.

Although the hosts created more chances before the break, Canada lacked sharpness in the final third. Tajon Buchanan was the only player able to register a shot on target before half-time, as the match went into the interval with the home side in control.

The second half came to life just before the hour mark when a clear foul by Cyle Larin on Jamie McGrath led to a penalty for the visitors. Troy Parrott stepped up from the spot, but his effort was saved by Maxime Crépeau. Chiedozie Ogbene reacted quickest, however, slotting home the rebound to bring Ireland level with his fifth international goal.

Canada responded with increased urgency as they pushed to regain the lead, with Mark Travers forced into action to deny Larin a chance to make amends for his earlier mistake at the other end.

As full-time approached, Ireland nearly found a winner when substitute Mason Melia tested Crépeau, but the Canadian goalkeeper produced a superb save to keep the scores level.

In the end, both sides settled for a draw in Montreal. The result means Canada are still without a win over Ireland in their history, although head coach Jesse Marsch will likely take encouragement from his team’s overall form ahead of their World Cup opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina next week.

Ireland, meanwhile, will return to action in September when they begin their UEFA Nations League campaign away to Kosovo, extending their run to seven matches unbeaten inside 90 minutes.