World Cup: Canada loses to Belgium

Mixed emotions are set to stir among Canadian football fans on Wednesday after the men’s national team kicked off its 2022 World Cup campaign with a 0-1 loss to Belgium.

Here are three key takeaways from the results in Qatar.

Will Davis Penalty Miss Canada’s Hunt?

The incident made headlines throughout the sports world and left many people scratching their heads.

With Canada looking to take the game to Belgium in the opening minutes, the intent of the first strike was clear. Viewers unfamiliar with this team will be really surprised.

Back in 1986, Canada had failed to score in all three World Cup group stage matches and had a chance to make history within 10 minutes against Belgium on Wednesday.

The video assistant referee (VAR) awarded Canada an early penalty after a handball on Tajon Buchanan’s shot, but Alfonso Davies, the face of the Canadian men’s team, said his soft try was enough to win the Yashin Trophy. I saw it saved by the winner, Thibaut Courtois.

It was puzzling to see a Bayern Munich defender make this try instead of forward Jonathan David, who has scored 9 of his 12 penalties in his career.

Notably, Davis has been out of action since November 5 due to a hamstring injury. This was his first game.

Penalty misses can have a huge mental impact, and Canada can’t afford to bother them in the final two games, so coach John Hardman has to find a way for his men to shake it off quickly. It won’t work.

The weakest squad area is impressive

Against the second-best team in the world, Canada knew they had a mountain to climb heading into the first game of the tournament.

Canada’s scoring inefficiencies come into focus, but their defensive performance should be applauded to prevent Belgium from scoring higher.

When analyzing rosters, Canada’s defense is often considered the weakest area compared to offense and midfield. However, the story changed against Belgium.

Kamal Miller and Steven Vitria have had a very careful partnership at centre-back throughout the match, with the former really impressing. Miller led the way with two tackles, one air clearance and one interception. All in all, he was a game changer.

In addition, Richie Laria’s pace prevented the second-ranked team from doubling their lead in the sliding challenge, despite sneaking behind the Belgian attack multiple times and starting the run several miles behind play. prevented.

It wouldn’t surprise me if Belgium ended the match beating Canada by 3, 4 or even 5 points. Instead, it ended 1-0. This is a very positive result for Hardman and his company.

Canada can maintain its own status

The issue for Canada was whether they could compete against the best teams in the world. After his 90-minute match against Belgium, the world knew the answer was yes.

Surprisingly, the Canadian took the match to Belgium (which they won 22-9) and fought for possession of the ball (46%), more than any team led by world-famous Manchester City midfielder Kevin. had a key pass for De Bruyne (18-8).

Simply put, a decisive performance against one of the best teams in the world will be noticed by other nations.

So what does this mean for Canada’s World Cup hopes moving forward? They sit last in Group F behind Belgium (3 points), Croatia and Morocco (both 1 point). This standings table is not funny at this point because of the

However, given a 0-0 draw earlier in the day, Canada’s chances of qualifying for the knockout rounds look a little brighter. Fortunately, the team finished the most difficult match.

After the full-time whistle blew, Hardman remained relatively hopeful, reminding the team that they had opened with a loss while managing the women’s national team at the 2012 Olympics. Admitted. The group then won bronze.

It’s the World Cup and as we’ve already seen in other groups, anything can happen. However, I am truly declaring that I will stand on the biggest stage.

This is an important statement that cannot be taken away from the team.