- Belgium beat Canada 1-0 at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
- However, the “Red Devils” are struggling at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Al-Rayyan.
- Michy Batshuayi scored the golden goal just before the break.
Canada had disappeared from the big World Cup stage for 36 years. It reappeared in Qatar – and how: The “maple leaves” shone against Belgium, especially in the first half. In the end, 12 degrees were recorded for Canada. Only: They couldn’t score a goal – as they did in their only appearance in 1986.
However, this was not only due to his own inability. Referee Janny Sikazwe from Zambia was already in the limelight in the first quarter of an hour:
- 11 minutes: After a handball from Yannick Carrasco in his own penalty area, Sikazwe goes to the VAR screen and gives a penalty. Bayern star Alphonso Davies fails because of Thibaut Courtois.
- 13 minutes: Barely two pointer turns later, Tajon Buchanan is felled in the penalty area. Referee Sikazwe whistles, but because of an alleged offside. A wrong decision as the ball went from a Belgian to a Canadian. However, the VAR does not report.
Incidentally, it wasn’t the first time that the Zambian referee made headlines of a negative nature: Sikazwe, for example, blew a game twice early at the Africa Cup. The Canadians didn’t let themselves be put off by the denied penalty at first and stormed on undeterred and passionately. Buchanan missed the best chance after a nice interaction in injury time of the 1st half.
The “eternal secret favourite” from Belgium did better than the Canadians. The star ensemble hardly managed anything before the break. And yet it was a Belgian, Michy Batshuayi, who was able to score in the 44th minute to make it 1-0.
Last chance for success
After the break, things leveled off more and more. Belgium didn’t play well on counterattacks, while the Canadians felt the strain of the first half. Jonathan David (48′) and Kyle Larin (80′) weren’t convincing enough with their headers. With Liam Millar, the second Super League player after Mohamed Dräger was substituted on at the 2022 World Cup in the final phase. However, the FCB player was unable to set any more accents.
By the way: In addition to Canada, Belgium also has good memories of the 1986 World Cup. 36 years ago, the “Red Devils” stormed to fourth place in the World Cup. An ambition that this year’s selection also has. For Kevin de Bruyne, Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku & Co., the World Cup in Qatar is probably the last chance to keep the promise of success after all.
This is how it goes
Group F continues next Sunday: First, the Belgians meet Morocco at 2:00 p.m. in the Al-Thumama Stadium in Doha, 3 hours later there is a duel between Croatia and Canada in the Khalifa International Stadium in Al-Rayyan.