FIFA World Cup: Belgium beat Canada 1-0 with the help of Micky Batshuayi’s goal

Belgium began their campaign at the FIFA World Cup on a winning note with a 1–0 victory over Canada despite not being at their best, thanks to a late first-half goal from Micky Batshuayi. Canada is participating in the World Cup after 36 years. He made good efforts but his return was not memorable when Batshuayi scored in the 44th minute. Belgium, the number two team in the world, at no point lived up to their reputation. Had their goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois not saved an early penalty, the result could have been the other way around.

Apart from the win for Belgium, there was nothing to celebrate in the match. Even one of the best players in the world, Kevin de Bruyne, was disappointed with his and the team’s performance. He was also surprised at the decision when he was named the player of the match. De Bruyne said, “I don’t think I played well. I don’t know why I was given this trophy. I think it’s because of my name that I got the award. Canada has failed to score in all four matches it has played so far in World Cup history. He played three matches in the 1986 World Cup in which he could not score.

Canada adopted an aggressive approach from the start, which can be gauged from the fact that they managed 21 shots on goal while Belgium managed only nine. Canada’s shots included their star player Alphonso Davis’s penalty shot which was blocked by the Belgian goalkeeper. This was Canada’s best chance to score a goal in the World Cup, which it missed. Canadian coach John Herdman said of his players, “They showed they are ready to play at this level and are of this level.” The decisive moment of the match came in the 44th minute when Belgium took the lead .

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Then although De Bruyne’s throw or Eden Hazard’s pass were not good, but the Canadian defense was scattered, taking advantage of which Batshuayi scored. Belgium coach Roberto Martinez admitted it was his team’s worst performance since taking over six years ago. He said, “I am happy that despite not showing a very good game, we won the match. Belgium next face Morocco on Sunday, while Canada take on Croatia on the same day.