Canada competed fiercely throughout but fell to a 1-0 defeat to Belgium in an enthralling Group E encounter at Ahmed bin Ali Stadium.
Canada could have gotten off to a blistering start after being awarded a penalty thanks to VAR. Unfortunately, Alphonso Davies saw his penalty saved by Thibaut Courtois.
The Maple Leafs looked dangerous following the penalty miss, creating opportunities and having a couple of penalty shouts. However, Belgium took the lead due to Alderweireld’s through pass to Michy Batshuayi, who buried his shot from the far corner of the net to make it 1-0.
The second half saw more Canada chances. Possibly their best was Lille’s Jonathan David heading wide from Eustaquio’s cross. Man of the Match Courtois again proved to be crucial, saving from substitute Kyle Larin’s header.
Courtois again, did superbly to save from David, who had directed a threatening header toward him after a fine ball in from the right. From that point on, Canada ran out of legs while Belgium killed any threat the North American side had.
Despite the defeat, Canada competed as coach John Herdman promised. They will go into the game against Croatia hoping to produce a similar performance.
