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It was not the result Canada will have wanted in Al Rayyan as their opening match of the World Cup saw them lose 1-0 to Belgium. But, as always, there are conclusions to be made. Here are three things that can be taken away from the match from a Canadian point of view:
They are able to create chances
The Canucks were not short on opportunities in the contest. With 21 efforts in the 90 minutes, they comfortably outshot the Belgians. The only issue for them was their inability to find the back of the net.
Alphonso Davies had his penalty thwarted by Thibaut Courtois just 10 minutes in. Add the plethora of opportunities from the likes of Jonathan David, Tajon Buchanan and Junior Hoilett to that, and they were able to outshoot the number two ranked side in the world.
Defensive frailties still evident
In last week’s friendly against Japan, Canada conceded off a ball played over the top. One week on, the deciding goal came from, yes, another ball played long.
This is an issue John Herdman will need to sort out, because at this level, against teams the quality of Belgium, you cannot just allow opportunities like those to occur.
There were also moments where giveaways too place. Whether it was holding onto the ball too much or, more regularly, misplaced passes, that needs to be wiped out.
They are able to go toe-to-toe with the world’s best
Everyone knew Belgium is not at the level they were at four years ago in Russia. Yet, this team is still second in the world rankings for a reason.
For Canada, a country that has not graced this stage in 36 years, to go and dominate proceedings like they did was very admirable. While they did end up just short, they should hold their heads up and look at that as a positive. If they continue to play like that, they will surely score, earn at least a point, and maybe even progress.