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Belgium, featuring several members of their golden generation, kicked off their 2022 FIFA World Cup journey with a clash against a feisty Canada on Wednesday night (23 November). Roberto Martinez’s side were exposed time and again by Canada’s sharp movements, but a moment of magic by Michy Batshuayi helped Belgium seal a 1-0 win in their Group F opener.
The Ahmed bin Ali Stadium witnessed a feisty start to the game, with every ball being hotly contested by both sets of players. In the second minute, Canada gave the ball away to Batshuayi, who quickly set himself up and went for Milan Borjan’s goal. The Canadian shot-stopper, however, was equal to his strike.
Canada won a corner in the eighth minute. The delivery fell to Tajon Buchanan inside the box, who went for goal with a volleyed effort. Yannick Carrasco blocked his shot and the danger was momentarily alleviated.
The VAR, however, found the Belgian’s block to be illegal, and the referee, after watching the play on his pitchside monitor, booked Carrasco and awarded a penalty to Canada. FIFA World Cup debutant Alphonso Davies stepped up to take the spot kick, but Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois guessed correctly and denied him.
In the 23rd minute, Eden Hazard superbly controlled a long ball from deep and fed it to Youri Tielemans. The midfielder squared the ball to his right and found Batshuayi, but his shot was convincingly blocked by Kamal Miller.
The deadlock was finally broken in the 44th minute when Toby Alderweireld’s ball from deep fell into Batshuayi’s path. The former Chelsea man hammered the ball past a helpless Borjan. In the first-half added time, Richie Laryea played a teasing pass across the face of the Belgian goal. Buchanan got on the end of the delivery but failed to keep his effort on target.
Three minutes into the second half, Jonathan David had a great chance to equalize with a header at the back post. The in-form Lille striker shockingly failed to hit the target. In the 80th minute, David went for Courtois’ goal with a strong header. The former Chelsea man dove to his right and collected the ball.
Belgium seemed content with their slender one-goal advantage in the 2022 FIFA World Cup opener and focused more on preserving their lead instead of extending it. Canada ended the game with 22 shots, while Belgium had nine. Had the underdogs been a tad more clinical, Belgium could have had a hard time walking away with maximum points.
Here are three Belgian players who impressed and two who did not live up to their billing in their first FIFA World Cup clash in Qatar:
Performed: Michy Batshuayi
Fenerbahce ace Michy Batshuayi was the focal point of Belgium’s attack on Wednesday. He kept the Canadian defense on their toes and did ever so well to score the decisive goal just before halftime.
Under pressure, Batshuayi superbly controlled Alderweireld’s long ball, steadied himself, and absolutely put his boot through the ball. He was not involved in his team’s build-up play (only nine accurate passes), but he delivered when it mattered.
The goal aside, Batshuayi won three duels, made a tackle, and drew a foul against Canada.
Underperformed: Eden Hazard
Eden Hazard emerged as one of the best players at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. A lot has changed since then, with the Real Madrid outcast’s confidence hitting rock bottom. A great 2022 FIFA World Cup campaign could go a long way in helping him become an integral part of Madrid. Disappointingly for his fans, Hazard’s campaign hardly got off to a satisfactory start.
Except for a couple of dribbles and a few neat touches, Hazard did not do anything of note. He did not have any shots on target, played no key passes, lost possession 12 times, and completed only 19 passes (76% accuracy).
Performed: Toby Alderweireld
Belgian center-back Toby Alderweireld was the architect of Batshuayi’s winning strike, demonstrating his vision and impeccable passing range. The way he spotted the forward's run and delivered the ball right at his feet was nothing short of sensational. He also was superb at the back, clearing the ball without hesitancy, making important tackles, and winning his battles.
On Wednesday night, Alderweireld made 12 clearances, attempted two tackles, provided a key pass, and delivered five accurate long balls. He also won both of his ground duels, and created a big chance.
Underperformed: Yannick Carrasco
Atletico Madrid man Yannick Carrasco was responsible for giving away a penalty after just eight minutes of play. He was also subsequently booked by the referee for the unnatural position of his arm. The right-wingback did not offer anything to the game offensively either, not even attempting a cross or a long ball.
Before being hooked at halftime, Carrasco lost possession four times, lost four ground duels, was dribbled past twice, and failed to pull off his only attempted dribble.
Performed: Thibaut Courtois
On Wednesday, Yashin Trophy winner Thibaut Courtois once again proved why he is widely hailed as one of the best goalkeepers in the world. Courtois was called to make a penalty save within eight minutes of the Red Devils’ 2022 FIFA World Cup curtain-raiser, which he handsomely delivered. He correctly guessed the trajectory of Davies’ shot, diving to his right and blocking it.
Against Canada, Courtois made three saves, with all three of them coming from inside the box. He acted as a sweeper once, completed 38 passes (79.2% accuracy), and delivered five accurate long balls.
