After 36 years, Canada has to wait longer for World Cup win
After 36 years, Canada has to wait longer for World Cup win
Canada, you still have to wait.
Alphonso Davies had the potential to give his country its first-ever World Cup goal and put the United States ahead of Belgium right away. Red-clad Canadian supporters at the opposite end of Ahmed bin Ali Stadium buzzed in anticipation for a moment that had been decades in the making as Davies prepared for the penalty kick in the 11th minute following a hand ball.
Coach John Herdman stated, “You’re bearing the weight of a nation: 36 years of waiting – longer than 36 for our first goal.
Thibaut Courtois, the goalkeeper, dived right as he anticipated and blocked Davis’ attempt with his forearm. The Canadians never came close to scoring after the ball bounced away.
The Canadians lost to Belgium 1-0 on Wednesday night despite dominating the second-ranked team in the world in Canada’s first World Cup game since 1986. Michy Batshuayi scored on a swift counter in the 44th minute.
After the game, Davies avoided speaking to the media.
He is our star athlete. He is one of the world’s top players. He will move on, get another chance, and bury it, according to midfielder Jonathan Osorio. He had to put it past the best goalkeeper in the world who was also in the net.
Courtois had watched Davies’s video.
Courtois stated, “He shot twice that side, so that’s why I opted to go that way.
The 40,432 spectators in the stadium in the Arabian desert were overwhelmingly in favor of Canada.
Before the game, several people joyfully waved the Maple Leaf and sang “O Canada.”
Goosebumps, said Osorio. “In this nation, times are changing for this sport. I was a little taken aback. The journey from Canada is not short. It demonstrates the level of support we enjoy, the passion of our supporters, and the popularity of football in Canada. This marks a turning point in the nation’s history with this sport. It appeared to be a home game. And I believe Belgium played like they were away.
The sword that contestants traveled with throughout Central America and the Caribbean during qualifying was brought with them and has the inscription “Nihil timendum est” (Fear not).
Before the game, retired Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield spoke with the squad.
Atiba Hutchinson, 39, became the non-goalkeeper with the oldest starting age in a World Cup game.
Players felt proud and like they had momentum going into Sunday’s match against Croatia, the losing World Cup finalist, even though Canada fell to 0-4 in the tournament. Croatia and Morocco drew 0-0 in the opening match.
They leave with a sense of pride, Herdman predicted, “glad of the idea that we’re a football nation.” “We had a couple of goals going into the game. The first objective was to play fearlessly, and the second objective was to amuse. We also wanted to establish certain firsts, but we weren’t quite ready for those times.
After the final horn, he collected the players on the field.
Herdman recalled what he had told them, saying, “I was pretty enthusiastic in the circle. “I believed that was a significant milestone for this nation. We merit being here. You’ve proven it. You’ve demonstrated your ability to survive here.
