Croatia scored a big victory over Canada, 4 goals to 1, which led to Canada’s exit from the finals of the World Cup currently being held in Qatar.
Earlier on Sunday, the Moroccan national team beat Belgium with two goals to none in the second round of Group F, to raise its tally to four points. Costa Rica also achieved a surprise by defeating Japan 1-0, in the second round of Group E.
Alphonso Davies scored Canada’s first ever World Cup goal, but that wasn’t enough to prevent their exit from the tournament following defeat to Croatia.
Bayern Munich winger Davies’ second-minute opener gave Canada hope but they finished second and suffered back-to-back defeats in their first two group matches.
John Herdman’s players scored a goal from the first attack of the match following only 67 seconds, thanks to a powerful header from Davies, who penetrated into the penalty area and turned it around with force from Tagon Buchanan’s cross.
But Croatia didn’t panic following going behind and created several chances, with striker Andrej Kramaric testifying that a goal was ruled out for offside.
But the former Leicester striker and now Hoffenheim striker equalized with a corner shot from a pass from player Ivan Perisic inside the penalty area, imposed it in front of him, then hit it with a powerful kick into the Canadian team’s goal in the 38th minute of the match.
The Croatian team achieved its second goal through Levia, who received the ball in a pass on the outskirts of the penalty area, to shoot it to the right of the Canadian goalkeeper.
Kramaric scored his second and third goal of the match by calmly turning it into the far corner, and substitute Lovro Mader concluded the match by scoring the fourth goal for the Croatian national team in stoppage time.
Morocco defeats Belgium
In the previous match of Group F, Morocco shocked world number two Belgium 2-0 and ranked second in the standings behind 2018 finalists Croatia.
Morocco’s Abdelhamid Sabry scored two goals from a set-piece into Courtois’ net in the 73rd minute, and Zakaria Boukhalal added the second goal in the 93rd minute of the match, which was held on Sunday at Al-Thumama Stadium.
With this result, the Moroccan national team raised its score to four points and leads the group temporarily, while the Belgian national team’s balance was frozen at three points. The two teams are awaiting the result of the Canada-Croatia match, which will also take place today.
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Abdelhamid Sabry, the Moroccan player, celebrates the first goal he scored in Belgium
Morocco had been exposed to a difficult situation before the match, with goalkeeper Yassine Bounou injured, and not participating in the match, to be replaced by substitute goalkeeper Mounir Al-Mohammadi, but he was more determined to win the match since the first half.
The two teams exchanged attacks in the first half, but Morocco was able to take control of half of its stadium and stopped the danger of the Belgian stars, while the fast winger, Hakim Ziyech, took advantage of the strong runs.
And Kevin De Bruyne’s comrades, the Manchester City star, did not succeed in achieving any positive result throughout the match, and it seemed that their weak victory over Canada in the first match 1-0 was not a strong incentive to achieve victory over Morocco.
Many had high hopes for Belgium, in the presence of big stars, to achieve a great achievement, especially since they reached the semi-finals of the last World Cup in Roarcia.
Costa Rica surprises Japan
Japan failed to qualify for the second qualifying round of the World Cup in Qatar, following losing 0-1 to Costa Rica, in its second match in Group E at Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium, following it had achieved a surprising victory over Germany in the match. The first 2-1.
Fuller Spence scored Costa Rica’s goal with a powerful shot in the 81st minute of the match, despite Japan’s many attempts to score the goal, but it always collided with the strong defenses of the opposing team.
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Costa Rica players celebrate the 1-0 victory over Japan
With this result, Costa Rica raised its tally to three points to equal with Japan, following it overcame the difficult situation following its heavy defeat by Spain in the first match 7-0.
The two teams are awaiting the result of the Spain match, which also has three points following defeating Costa Rica, and Germany, which has not achieved any points yet following the defeat from Japan, and the match will take place today, Sunday, at seven in the evening GMT.
The Costa Rica-Japan match came in the second round of Group E competitions in the 2022 World Cup, which is currently being held in Qatar.
change in formation
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Disappointment for Japan’s players following the unexpected loss from Costa Rica
Many expected Japan to score an easy win over Costa Rica, but Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu chose to make changes rather than settle for the same line-up and perform up to par once morest Germany.
Moriyasu made five changes to the squad, which led to a poor performance, and thus the team received a defeat that upset the balance in the group and ignited the competition.
Costa Rica achieved an impressive victory following a strong match. And it failed to penetrate Japan’s strong defenses until just nine minutes before the end of the match, when Fuller’s shot penetrated the defense and escaped from the grip of goalkeeper Shuichi Gonda, and settled into the Japanese net.
After a scoreless first half, in intense heat at Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium, Japan dominated the game for long periods in the second half. But the players failed to find scoring chances until the 88th minute, when Daichi Kamada was unable to convert the ball into the net following a pass from Kaoru Mitoma.
After the final whistle blew, the Costa Rican players celebrated madly on the field, especially since this victory was a rehabilitation following the humiliating defeat by Spain in the first match.
On the other hand, disappointment appeared on the players of Japan, who believed that they might reserve the ticket to advance to the knockout stages early through Costa Rica before the difficult meeting once morest Spain in the next match.
