A 4-1 loss to Croatia saw Canada’s chances of qualifying for the group stage of the FIFA World Cup be shattered on Sunday in Qatar.
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However, the confrontation against the finalists in the latest edition of the prestigious tournament started very well for the Maple Leaf. At 67 seconds into the match, Alphonso Davies scored Canada’s first World Cup finals goal.
The 22-year-old prodigy headed in Tajoon Buchanan’s cross into the box, making Canadian sports history.
However, the Croats managed to equalize and even took the lead before the end of the first half. After dominating for a long time, Andrej Kramarek put everyone back on par in the 36th minute.
Marco Livaga then capitalized on an impressive rebound from Josip Juranović to put the Eastern European nation ahead before half-time.
Canada tried to save the championship in the second half, but were unable to find the net, unlike their competitors that day. Indeed, Kramaric completed his brace in the 70th minute and Lovro Mager put the finishing touches in stoppage time.
As a result, coach John Herdman’s men will not participate in the next stage of the competition. Morocco’s shock 2-0 win over Belgium ensured the Canadians avoided defeat in their second group match.
Canada concludes its second World Cup appearance with a duel against Morocco on Thursday.
