It was a close fought battle in Group F as both Canada and Belgium looked to kickstart their World Cup off on the right foot. A game that was mainly controlled by the Canadians, yet they could never put the finishing touch in the final third. It’d be the former Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi in the 44th minute.
It all looked to be going in the right direction for Canada as in the 11th minute Alphonso Davies stepped up for a penalty, but it’d be Champions League winner Thibaut Courtois dive the right way and deny Canada their first ever World Cup Goal.
It would be a first half completely dominated by Canada with Belgium struggling to get any type of chances, then out of nothing it’d be the center back Toby Alderweireld who launched a ball from the backline all the way onto the boot of Batshuayi who made no mistake and calmly passed it by the keeper and give Belgium the lead right before the half.
The second half would bring more of the same as Canada would continue their barrage of attacks but could not break the deadlock. Canada would not be able to find a breakthrough though as the Belgium defense would hold strong and the match would end 1-0 in Belgium’s favor. It was one of the most dominate loses ever in the World Cup as Canada had a better expected goal difference (0.76 v 2.61) big chances created (9 v 22) and big chances missed (0 v 3). Belgium boss Roberto Martinez came and had this to say about the game. “It was such a difficult game; Canada were better than us in what we wanted to do. They have a lot of pace and directness, and to be fair we had to show another side to out play.”
What’s next for Belgium?
Belgium now sits atop of group F after their victory over Canada and Morocco and Croatia drew earlier in the matchday. The Red Devils look to have a stronger performance next game as this group of players seem to be coming to the end of the primes. Often being called “Belgium’s Golden Generation” so far, they have nothing to show for it. They face African side Morocco on Sunday at 8am Est.
What’s next for Canada?
The Canadians can hold their heads up high after this performance, but unfortunately that doesn’t bring them any closer to getting out of the group stages. Though this is their second ever appearance in the World cup they are still chasing a lot of “firsts”. Their first goal, their first point, and most importantly their first ever win. They’ll look to capture any of those this Sunday as they face last World Cup’s runners up in Croatia at 11am Est.
