World No. 2 Belgium faced off against Canada in both teams’ opening game of the FIFA World Cup 2022 on day five.
Canada kicked off the game, and after a few brief passes, Belgium swiftly gained control of the ball and started to dominate. Michy Batshuayi attempts a long shot from a distance that drops in toward Canadian goaltender Hutchinson, who did well to stop it just around the minute mark. This served as a warning for Canada, who then regrouped and attempted to counterattack Belgium but were unsuccessful. Following that, several Canadian attempts to score were made. Tajon Buchanan’s header was the closest, but Belgian goaltender Courtois turned it away in the sixth minute.
Canada might have had a penalty opportunity at the 34-minute mark of the first half when Laryea appeared to be knocked down after Witsel shoved him inside the box. Even though the VAR showed that Witsel may have tripped Laryea, the decision went in favor of Belgium, with Canada not receiving a penalty.
The referee blows the whistle a few minutes after the goal, ending the first half with the Canadians trailing Belgium by 1-0. Despite the fact that Belgium grabbed the lead, it is safe to say that Canada completely controlled the first half. Forwards Laryea and Davis made multiple attempts to score but were denied by the Belgian defense. The game’s first goal is scored by Belgium’s Michy Batshuayi after 44 minutes when he directs a well-placed shot into the goal from the midfield past teammate Yannick Carrasco. Belgium now leads 1-0 as the first half comes to a close.
Alphonso Davies receives a cross from Stephen Eustaquio to start the second half for Belgium, but he headed it away from the target. Canada kept wasting chances and making easy fouls despite its desperation to at least score an equalizer. Belgium also had a few opportunities to increase their lead, but Canadian defenders Laryea and Miller stopped them. The Canadians were doing an excellent job of keeping things tight in their defensive zone and preventing their opponents from scoring, but they were unable to reduce the score differential either. As the match headed into the last 6 minutes of extra time, the only task Belgium had was to maintain their lead which they did and the final whistle blew, ensuring that the red devils clinch a 1-0 win in their opening match.
Even though Canada dominated the first half, they lost 1-0 in the end. With multiple refereeing decisions going in their favor, Belgium was extraordinarily lucky. Execution is probably to blame for Canada’s current failure. Despite having more offensive possibilities, Canada simply couldn’t score goals because of their appalling finishing.
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