Canada, Croatia fight after Morocco’s upset
Play in Groups E and F continues Sunday after an action-packed opening week at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
One of the favorites in Group E — four-time men’s World Cup champion Germany — dropped in a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Japan on Wednesday. Germany now has the tall task of facing Spain, which looked like world-beaters in a 7-0 rout of overmatched Costa Rica.
Canada, playing in its first World Cup since 1986, is coming off a hard-fought 1-0 defeat against Belgium. On Sunday, they face Croatia, which is coming off a scoreless draw against Morocco.
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Goal! Croatia makes it 3-1 over Canada
Andrej Kramarić scored his second goal of the game in the 70th minute, cooly controlling a diagonal ball from Ivan Perisic, cutting back and slotting into the back of the net with his left foot.
It’s hard to see a way back for Canada now, who will be eliminated with a loss/.
Goal! Croatia takes 2-1 lead on Canada before halftime
Marko Livaja scored from the top of the box after some sloppy Canada defending, putting Croatia ahead in the 44th minute, just eight minutes after the 2018 runners-up found the equalizer.
It’s the second game in a row that Canada have conceded right before the stroke of halftime, with Belgium also scoring in the 44th minute of their opening match.
Goal! Andrej Kramarić ties it up for Croatia
Croatia had been knocking on the door and had a goal called back for offside but in the 36th minute, some clever passing put Andrej Kramarić in on goal and he made no mistake putting it past Canada goalkeeper Milan Borjan for the equalizer.
Goal! Alphonso Davies puts Canada up on Croatia
It took less than two minutes for Canada to take the lead, with Alphonso Davies heading home Tajon Buchanan’s cross to beat Dominik Livaković.
The 22-year-old Bayern Munich man’s goal was the first goal Canada has ever scored in the men’s World Cup, days after Davies missed a penalty kick in the opening loss to Belgium.
Canada, Croatia starting lineups
One change for each side with kickoff set for 11 a.m. ET at the Khalifa International Stadium in Al Rayyan.
Morocco didn’t back down. In stoppage time, they doubled the score thanks to a substitute again. Zakaria Aboukhlal rocketed a shot to the roof of the goal, assisted by Ziyech. Courtois had no chance of stopping that. The victory is Morocco’s first World Cup win since 1998, third tournament win overall.
Heading into the final set of games, Morocco leads Group F. They are in prime position for a knockout round appearance for the first time since 1986.
Belgium looks desperate for an answer. Manager Roberto Martinez adds record goal-scorer Romelu Lukaku, who has yet to feature during this World Cup due to injury.
After more than 70 minutes of pressure on Belgium, Morocco break through again. And this one counts. Abdelhamid Sabiri curls a free kick in front of Courtois as Al Thumama stadium fills with cheers.
Morocco has yet to concede a goal this World Cup and could put themselves in prime position to advance to the Round of 16.
While Bounou was originally listed on the team sheet as the starting goalkeeper, after a strong shutout performance against Croatia, it’s El Kajoui between the post. There’s some confusion as to why. The Moroccan FA announced the change on Twitter after the game was underway.
Al Thumama Stadium erupted with jubilation from Moroccan fans when Hakim Ziyech scored from a free kick, but video review overturned the goal for an offside call. The teams enter halftime knotted in a scoreless tie.
With pressure from Morocco, Courtois opts to show off his footwork. The goalkeeper, with the ball at his feet, caught Moroccan forward Youssef En-Nesyri off balance as he rushed in — a nervy moment from Courtois, but it worked out in the end.
With a win, Belgium would secure a spot in the Round of 16. A draw between the two teams shifts the pressure to the final round of group stage games.
Belgium (3-4-2-1): Courtois; Vertonghen, Alderweireld, Meunier; T. Hazard, Witsel, Onana, Castagne; E. Hazard, De Bruyne; Batshuayi
Morocco (4-3-3): Munir El Kajoui; Mazraoui, Saiss, Aguerd, Hakmi; Amallah, Amrabat, Ounahi; Boufal, En-Nesyri, Ziyech
Batshuayi had an early chance for Belgium saved by Munir El Kajoui, followed by a couple set piece opportunities.
At the FIFA World Cup, the easiest way to advance to the knockout stage is to simply win. But, often times, that is not the case.
Enter the World Cup tiebreakers which determine the final 16 teams in the tournament. During the group stage, countries play the other three teams in their groups once. The top two teams with the most points advance to the knockout stage. A win is worth three points, a draw gets one point and a loss earns nothing.
Scooby Axson explains what happens if…
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