Alphonso Davies makes history with his FIFA World Cup goal

tomtidgewellNovember 30, 2022

Whatever happens to the 22-year-old from Edmonton, he will always be remembered for closing Canada’s goal deficit at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Canada’s Alfonso Davies celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the Qatar 2022 World Cup Group F football match between Croatia and Canada at Khalifa International Stadium in Doha on 27 November 2022. Photo credit: JEWEL SAMAD /AFP via Getty Images

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DOHA, Qatar — Alphonso Davies is already the perfect men’s player to wear a soccer jersey for the Canadian national team.

And whatever happens to the 22-year-old from Edmonton, he will always be remembered for ending Canada’s goal deficit at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Still, Davis doesn’t want his only highlight at the World Cup to be the opening goal in Sunday’s 4-1 loss to Croatia.

Canada just missed out on advancing to the next round of the 32-team tournament, but they still have work to do in their final match against Morocco here at Al Thumama Stadium on Thursday (10am ET). I have.

“This team came to this World Cup to make history, and that’s what we’re trying to do,” Davis said Tuesday. “The first game was great and we played well. but didn’t get the 3 points (for the win) they wanted.

“In the second game, I am happy to put my name in history and show our good side and quality. We’re going to go out there and keep playing the way we’ve been and show that we belong on this stage.”

Canada didn’t just come here to score goals and leave, so the team was devastated when they were eliminated from the tournament with their remaining matches.

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According to Davis, he wasn’t in the mood to put his achievements above the team’s disappointment after the loss.

Two days later, Davis was more comfortable reflecting on his journey from refugee camps in Ghana to Canada and ultimately to the World Cup. He was happy to share this moment with his parents here in Qatar.

“After the first game, they told me how proud they were of me. They were proud of me when I came to Canada and saw them perform on the biggest stage in the world.

“My parents are very quiet people, and they don’t say much, but they showed me that they were proud.”

Davis made his country proud by scoring 67 seconds in the match against Croatia. Canada, who lost her 1-0 loss to Belgium in the first match of the tournament, needed at least a draw with Russia’s finalists in Croatia, despite being well ahead of the semi-finalists four years ago. .

Canada failed to score on 21 goal attempts against Belgium but scored their first one against Croatia as Davis ran into a cross from Tajon Buchanan and headed into the net. This is the first time Davis has scored with a header for Canada.

“How the goal started was we got the ball in midfield and gave it back to a defender,” Davis said. “They threw the ball over me. did.

“I saw Tajon looking up a few times and knew I had to get in the box to give him a choice. I was able to get in. It went right over the head of the centre-back and my first instinct was to point it down.I don’t score goals with a header very often, but this is for me. It was wonderful.”

The goal seemed to surprise everyone that it happened early in the game. The ball appeared to hang in the air, waiting for Davis to hit it.

Davis then turned and ran to the flag in the left corner, where he joined all of his teammates on the field and on the bench.

“It felt great,” said Davis. “I will remember that moment for a long time. My teammates were all around me, grabbing my jersey and pushing me. The moment was pure surprise for these guys.”

The goal ended nearly 40 years after Canada’s 361-minute drought at the World Cup. Canada was shut out in the 1986 tournament in Mexico with three losses.

In Morocco, Canada will face opponents in their sixth World Cup, but have not left the group stage since 1986.

Morocco need a win to secure play in the round of 16. A draw is possible, depending on what happens between Croatia and Belgium. The match will take place simultaneously at Al Rayyan’s Ahmad Bin Stadium.

The motivation is there. Playing in the World Cup is enough motivation for this team,” Davis said. “Every time we go on the pitch, we bring that motivation to every match. We can’t go on to the next round, but we have the motivation to take something out of this game.

“I know it’s not going to be easy. I’m going to go into the game like I did in the first one and play as strong and hard as I can.”

Email: dvandiest@postmedia.com

Twitter: @DerekVanDiest

Postmedia football expert Derek Van Diest covers all kick-offs of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. subscribe today You can access all his coverage.

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A scoreless draw between Croatia and Morocco earlier in the day put pressure on Canada for a match against Belgium here at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium.
WORLD CUP POWER RANKINGS: DEFENDING CHAMPIONS TAKE THE TOP PLACE

The defending champions of France (3) were the first team to advance to the knockouts. Brazil (4) 2 wins, he has 2 clean sheets against 2 tough opponents. Portugal (6) beat Uruguay and survived the toughest test. A draw with Spain (1) Germany will only boost the team’s progress. Croatia (11) showed its experience with the demolition of Canada. The Netherlands (5) attempted just two shots against Ecuador’s 15 in a draw. England (2) Lack of urgency for the US to worry about future matches. Argentina (15) Messi and the players are on track. take care. Switzerland (8) nearly held a draw with Brazil before conceding in the second half. A draw with Germany (13) Spain must have certainly felt like a victory. The Danish (10) pre-tournament dark horse has a small margin of error for his pick. Poland (20) Lewandowski is on the board, but Szczesny is the star. Morocco (18) The win over Belgium can only come as a shock. Uruguay (9) He is one of three countries who have yet to score in Qatar. Saudi Arabia (14) It wouldn’t be surprising if they actually made inroads into the country. Ecuador (17) Ener His Valencia injury has dampened promotion hopes. Ghana (27) weathered the storm to beat Korea. The Belgian (7) team in turmoil may have been practically pointless at this point. Senegal (22) nearly put Qatar back into the game before signing a deal. Iran (29) took advantage of a big late error by the Welsh goalkeeper. USA (23) The young team won a lot of fans after a hard-fought draw with England. Australia (30) won his first World Cup his game since 2010. Serbia (21) showed more in attack than they did against Brazil. Cameroon (28) Could have done better after Andre Onana was suspended at the net? Mexico (19) in a row It takes a lot of luck to get through the group. Costa Rica (32) bounced back from a crushing defeat and won in an upset. South Korea (25) provided excitement but star Son needs more. Wales (24) The first and only red card of the tournament. A big loss to Canada (16) Croatia should be a valuable learning experience. Tunisia (26) As expected, offense is a big challenge. Qatar (31) Well, at least the hosts scored a goal.Postmedia’s football expert Derek Van Diest is in Qatar covering the kickoffs of all his 2022 FIFA World Cups. Subscribe him now to get access to all his articles.