Brave Canada rue missed chances as Batshuayi steals victory for Belgium
CHANCE SEIZED: Belgium's Michy Batshuayi (left) was the match-winner for Belgium. Pic: Mike Egerton/PA Wire.
Thirty six years of waiting. Only to learn something they knew all along — this is a cruel bloody game.
The headlines and the tweets will likely read ‘Oh Canada!’ as though some naivety or ill fate had cost North America’s newest power on their first World Cup appearance since 1986. But it didn’t. It was finishing that cost them.
There were heroes in white all over the field at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium but when the final whistle sounded at just about midnight, it was they who fell to floor in heartbreak. Roberto Martinez’s Belgium, bland as a Bud Zero and about as much value, had stolen a 1-0 win to somehow take charge of Group F.
With Croatia and Morocco having created precious little in the group’s earlier game, John Herdman’s Canada created everything here. Twenty two shots in all but just four on target. One of those was an early penalty that their talisman Alphonso Davies tamely sent Thibaut Courtois’s direction after Canada had roared out of the gates. They could, maybe should, have had another.
They were the superior side for start to finish. Brave and bloody relentless, they were the brotherhood they said they’d be, Steph Eustaquio and Richie Laryea incredible in defeat. Belgium were a dysfunctional family. Football, eh?
It hadn’t been a good Wednesday evening for CONCACAF’s reputation out here. Costa Rica were ragged and wretched as Spain buried seven past them. But after coming in from the freezing cold to top the continent, Herdman’s side had promised to not falter in the spotlight, to “put Canada on the map” captain Atiba Hutchinson had said on the eve of this one.
After a nervy opening phase when defender Alistair Johnston almost gifted Belgium a lead, they settled stunningly well. Of all the areas where Martinez’s side have aged, they’ve aged most rapidly in their rearguard and haven’t been able to replenish. Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld have seen too many winters to be spending this one out here.
It showed early and often. Canada didn’t grow into the match so much as grab it by throat. Their pace and directness was unnerving Belgium across the middle and back. When Tajon Buchanan rifled a rebound towards goal, Yannick Carrasco handled and Davies, a beloved figurehead in the Bale and Mané mould, stepped up. But then he had to wait…and wait.
His poor effort was much too close and much too weak and Courtois easily stopped it. But Canada didn’t stop. After waiting four decades to get here they’d clearly decided not to die wondering. It was breathless stuff from the 11 in white. When the camera cut to the stands and caught Romelu Lukaku gesticulating and puffing, it captured the Belgian mood perfectly.
Junior Hoilett flashed a shot wide and Lille striker Jonathan David snatched at a couple more openings. But there were a couple of warnings as Kevin De Bruyne broke only to once pick the wrong option and another time pick no option at all. Another very solid penalty shout — when Axel Witsel clipped the heels of wing back Richie Laryea — was ignored by VAR.
The Belgians, who haven’t travelled well in this generation or many before, were getting drowned out in the stands. Their players were barely afloat on the field. Yet what is tournament football for but teaching new teams those age-old lessons.
A concern of Canadians even through their epic run to Qatar was that they are a team where the talent is front-loaded. In defence they have workers but not the wonders further up the field. When Alderweireld pinged a direct ball over the top of them they were caught out. Michy Batshuayi buried it brilliantly past Milan Borjan and Canada looked at the scoreboard and wondered how.
We all wondered the same when Buchanan blazed over from a searching Laryea cross on 45 minutes but the numbers at the interval gave us plenty of answers: Canada had had 14 shots, one on target, Belgium two, both on target and the only goal.
Cyle Larin, Canada’s record goalscorer and a player renowned for needing little to make a lot, must’ve been frustrated on the bench. But it was Martinez who called on his reserves first. The opener had clearly done little to temper his frustration and Youri Tielemans and Carrasco were hauled ashore.
Their replacements — Thomas Meunier and Amadou Onana — were both booked within 10 minutes. Martinez shook his head on the sidelines. Canada’s energy had been relentless in the first 45 and you waited for it to drop but it was slow in doing so. As Belgium launched a couple of rapid counters and Kamal Miller and then Laryea snuffed them out heroically, the contest was livelier and on more of a knife-edge than ever. Four days in, it was a contender for the tournament’s best game yet.
None of which would be much consolation to Herdman and his side. Brugge striker Larin came in on the hour to try and get on the end of something, anything, to greater effect than any of his teammates. It took him a while but as the clock inched towards the final 10 minutes, he found it.
Alas, like Davies before him, he found Courtois too. A whipped delivery from the tireless Alistair Johnston split the defence and Larin rose to twist his neck at it but the Real Madrid goalkeeper did that thing that all 6’6” of him allows him to do — made a stellar save look very normal indeed.
It never rose above normal for Belgium, if it ever got there. No matter. They’d finished one chance when Canada couldn’t take a world of them.
“I just told them they belong here and we’re going to go and ‘F’ Croatia next,” said Herdman afterwards. "It’s as simple as that!”
It can be as simple as that. If they can find a finish.
Courtois 9; Dendoncker 6, Alderweireld 6, Vertonghen 6; Castagne 5, Witsel 6, Tielemans 6 (Meunier HT), Carrasco 5 (Onana 5 HT); De Bruyne 5, Batshuayi 7 (Openda 74), Hazard 5 (Trossard 62).
Carrasco, Meunier, Onana
Batshuayi (43)
Borjan 8; Johnston 7, Vitoria 8, Miller 8; Hoilett 7 (Larin 58), Eustaquio 7 (Osorio 80), Hutchinson 7 (Kone 58), Laryea 8 (Adekugbe 74); Buchanan 7 (Millar 80), David 5, Davies 7.
Davies, Johnston.
Janny Sikazwe (ZAM)
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