The anticipation among soccer fans was electric. Two teams that qualified for the World Cup were meeting in a friendly match at the recently renovated BMO Field in Toronto.
But lightning, thunder and heavy rain postponed the match between Group B Canada, showcasing their new black away jersey, and Group F Tunisia for about 90 minutes.
And in the end, it ended with a nil-nil draw.
It was an unofficial taste of the FIFA World Cup, a chance for Canadian supporters to rally behind their team just 72 days from the main event.
FIFA ranks Canada 30th, while its opponent, Tunisia, holds 44th spot.
Temporary stands were added to the pitch, allowing for 46,000 fans compared to the usual 30,000 seats.
Canadian coach Jesse Marsch shook up the defensive starting lineup, giving opportunities to new debuts to start in the highly anticipated friendly match.
Among the changes from Saturday's Iceland friendly match, which ended in a 2-2 draw, include Ralph Priso as centre-back, replacing Kamal Millar. Following Tajon Buchanan's red card in the match against Iceland, Liam Millar started as left wing. Canadian keeper Maxime Crépeau started his 30th cap for his country, and Marcelo Flores made his first start appearance in the right wing position.
The match remained goalless, but the changes to the backfield improved their defensive play in possession and maintained better control of the game.
The Canadians earned four yellow cards as the game grew more intense with critical tackles and defending.
Nevertheless, the team took advantage of the space given by Tunisia's defender, but the Canadians didn't accomplish much with the 14 shots on goal, six of which were on target.
The Canadians had the opportunity to shoot more, but lacked shots on target. Holding the ball in front of the 18-yard box and the lack of one-time shots prevented Canada from capitalizing on key moments in lifting the game out of a goalless draw.
For the Canadian centre back substitute, Priso, his debut match came to a short end when he got injured at the 26th minute while preventing the Tunisian player on the wing from making a pass.
One of the few opportunities for a goal in the match was for Tunisia, who capitalized on the free ball opportunity on their side of the pitch after Canada was unable to obtain possession.
A long pass down the field in the 34th minute led to a Tunisian two-player breakaway opportunity, forcing Canadian midfielder Liam Millar to track back from the other side of the field and make a crucial block in the Canadian keeper's box, preventing Tunisian left winger Elis Saad from scoring in the match.
Canada held their own against Tunisia, known as the Eagles of Carthage, showcasing their defensive changes from Saturday's friendly match against Iceland and embracing resilience in keeping a shutout.
As Canada continues to fix their mistakes defensively, the team continues to focus on working to capitalize on its scoring opportunities and taking more shots on target rather than looking for a pass.
FIFA qualifiers spots were officially locked on March 31. Italy failed to qualify for the third time in a row, losing 4-1 in penalties to Bosnia and Herzegovina, officially filling in the playoff team in FIFA Group B.
Bosnia and Herzegovina officially joins FIFA Group B with Canada, Switzerland, and Qatar.
Canada plays Bosnia and Herzegovina at BMO Field on June 12 as part of the group stage of the World Cup. Canada plays Qatar on June 18 and the Swiss on June 24 in Vancouver.
