MONTRÉAL, Canada -- Back when he was Melbourne Victory coach, Tony Popovic once described the chance to play the role of villain and ruin an opponent's fairytale as beautiful. If he still feels the same way as Socceroos boss, then Friday evening's 1-0 win over Canada might have been one of the most magnificent victories that he's been a part of.

Canada's meeting with Australia at Montréal's Stade Saputo was supposed to be a homecoming and a celebration. Les Rouges hadn't played in the Québec capital since 2017 and, adding to the sense of civic pride, they'd returned with a collection of Francophiles in the squad. With a home World Cup approaching, wins over Romania and Wales in the last window had pushed them to a record-high FIFA ranking of 26. Prime Minister Mark Carney

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