Canada finishes 6th in first appearance at prestigious Toulon soccer tournament

SALON DE PROVENCE, France — Mathieu Choiniere scored in a losing cause Thursday as Canada suffered its first setback at a prestigious youth soccer tournament, falling 2-1 to France in the fifth-place game.

Canada finished play at the 12-country Festival International Espoirs, better known as the Toulon Tournament, with a 1-1-2 record. Canada was playing at the event for the first time.

Axel Bakayoko, a winger currently on loan with France’s Sochaux from Inter Milan, scored for France in the 24th minute. Steve Ambri, who plays for Valenciennes FC in the french second-tier, added to the lead in the 72nd minute.

Choiniere, who is part of the Montreal Impact academy, scored his first youth international goal three minutes later.