Even far from having presented a good performance, Belgium managed to overcome the pressure imposed by Canada and won at the start of the World Cup, match at 4 p.m., this Wednesday (23), at the Ahmad Bin Ali stadium . The goal was scored by striker Batshuayi in the 43rd minute of the first leg. With the victory, the Belgians took the first three points, opening up an advantage in Group F, while Morocco and Croatia drew in the other group duel.
Despite the strong result, the way the match played out further heightened suspicions that Belgium’s so-called ‘golden generation’ are far from reaching their peak. In 2014 and 2018, for example, in the Brazilian and Russian Cups, respectively, the Devils were considered one of the favorites, but were eliminated in the final stages.
This time around, the pressure on Canada, which hasn’t played at a World Cup in 36 years, is a concern for the continuation of the competition. In Wednesday’s duel, striker Lukaku was unavailable as he is still recovering from an injury sustained in August.
First time:
As much as Belgium was the favourite, Canada was the one who took the reins of the match in the first minutes. The first clear chance of the match came before the opening 10 minutes, when Canada were awarded a penalty. After a kick from outside the box, the ball hit the executioner’s hand and the referee, with the help of VAR, confirmed the penalty. In the picking, Canadian star Alphonso Davies of Bayern Munich, Germany, didn’t pick well, making it easier for goaltender Courtois to defend.
Despite the squandered opportunity, the Canadians did not give up and continued to pressure Belgium. Until the first 15 minutes, there were seven submissions for Canada, against only one for the Belgians. From the 30th minute of the first half, the team led by Roberto MartÃnez managed to rebalance the confrontation and began to pose danger.
The first clear chance didn’t come until 43 of the opening leg, however, after a silly defense from Canada. Defender Alderweireld launched Batshuayi, who won the run and hit the goal, opening the scoring for the Devils in the 43rd minute.
Second time:
To try to control the game better in the second half, Belgium promoted two modifications in the interval, knocking out Carrasco and Tielemans, putting on Meunier and Onana respectively. However, the changes did not have as much effect, as Canada continued to insist.
As much as it was better, the Canadians couldn’t create such clean chances as the first Belgian, in the 21st minute of the finals, when Batshuayi had the chance to finish, but it took some time. time, allowing the defense to cut .
From the 30th minute, Belgium were completely defensive, while Canada occupied the offensive field, trying to break through the Belgian defense and, consequently, the goal of goalkeeper Courtois. At 35 minutes, after a good arrival on the right and the center in the box, Larin managed a good header, but stopped the Belgian archer.
Belgium will return to the pitch next Sunday (27), at 10 a.m., at the Al Thumama stadium, to face Morocco. In case of victory, the Belgians guarantee the classification with a lead in the round. Canada takes on Croatia, also Sunday, at 1 p.m. at Khalifa International Stadium.
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