There's a reason why Belgium is ranked number 2. Cause they can grind out wins like that. Won every single group game (both at the Euros and the WC) under Martinez and haven't lost a single WC/EC qualifying game. Against teams that are supposedly weaker on paper, they rarely drop the ball. Once they meet a bigger team it's usually game over. I'm sure this will be the case again. That's the big frustration among Belgian fans.
Day 4: Morocco vs Croatia | Germany vs Japan | Spain vs Costa Rica | Belgium vs Canada
- Thread starter Samid
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It will be a tough, tough game on Sunday. Canadians are quick, agile and dangerous, they're playing a modern football and we'll have a lot of trouble.
On the other their way of playing may open a lot of spaces for us. Hopefully we'll play a lot better than today.
On the other their way of playing may open a lot of spaces for us. Hopefully we'll play a lot better than today.
I think the reason for that high ranking is rather that Belgium were good previously, cause I'm not sure what they ground out today. If Belgium had actually played a solid game defensively in the knowledge that they have enough in front to score eventually, then I'd see your point. But they actually gave away a load of good chances (and that penalty), and would certainly have lost if Canada had had a somewhat more reasonable conversation rate today.
This. Feels like our Denmark game at EC which we should have lost aswell. Feels like we’ve won these games on the back of our status as a big international team of the last 12 years. Definitely our last dance this. Next tournament we will lose this kind of game.
Disappointed Canada didn't win. That penalty miss really cost them. Could have turned out much different. Belgium are meh, but they will still top the group. After that, however...
What's funny?
Bit like England then.
People coming out with wild statements cause belgium had a bit of a stinker today. On what grounds can you conclude Morocco & Croatia will comfortably beat Belgium? Last time Croatia played Belgium they were outplayed & lost the game by the way. Germany & Argentina lost their games, I guess Morocco will beat them comfortably too? Belgium ain’t winning it but if de Bruyne finds his form and lukaku is back these will hardly be walk over games for Croatia/Morocco
Walk over ey? Interesting take that one.
I said these will hardly be walkover games for Morocco & Croatia. I think you’re misunderstanding me here. I didn’t mean it’s a walkover for Belgium but you would expect them to top the group. After that is a different story. They clearly lack quality in defence to make it far. 2018 was their chance after beating Brazil but they failed; It’s too late now
Seems like a system player and the only system that suits him is the City one.
You can argue he hasn’t got as much quality around him but that doesn’t make up for the wrong passes he frequently made tonight. Maybe an off night or is he not as great as we see every week in the PL?
Oh yes, completely misunderstood your point, sorry, its late.
Canada were effing mint!!!
Very unfair result...
Very unfair result...
He seemed extremely frustrated all game. Martinez his tactics must be driving him nuts. Right after the goal he had an argument with Alderweireld.
Yeah he seemed really off today. Picking wrong passes not seeing some runs you'd expect him to normally notice. Hopefully he keeps it up when he gets back to PL duty maybe give the rest of the league to catch up
It's more to do with i thought Belgium would be shit going into it, I thought the lineup apart from De Bruyne was actually really bad, and then they proceeded to play really badly. I think Martinez is a joke of a coach.
I genuinely think that both Croatia and Morocco have more balanced sides. More pace. Far better defences. And more belief as a whole to do something. Canada completely outplayed them. You can have an off day as a big nation - Germany didn't win but played well for large stretches and showed their talent, but didn't finish. Hell even Argentina didn't look very good but Canada absolutely battered Belgium, which just shouldn't happen to a team of their reputation. But again, I thought their selection wasn't good at all, so it wasn't much of a surprise that they played poorly.
To be fair most Belgian fans on here also predicted that this was going to happen. A team with loads of ageing players, not in great form at all and carrying a complete passenger in Hazard against an enthusiastic young team not having been at a WC in decades and full of talented, superfast attackers. A really bad match up. Especially as a first game.
However i don't believe this means Belgium are the worst team in this group. But maybe i'm wrong, we'll see soon enough.
I take it you didn't watch the game?
Great game from the boys. So proud of them. High pressing, not backing down. Belgium though that because it is Canada we would be a pushover. They did not like that we didn't back down. You could tell they were shocked and frustrated.
By far the better team in the first half.
Fair. I didn't check your location. And yeah, me too. I was weirdly disappointed yet also encouraged by that game, a strange example of mixed emotions.
Hats off to Canada. If the U.S had a coach that played that way who knows how far they could go.
This is absurd.
He was the best player I've ever seen in the Bundesliga who wasn't lining up for Munich or Dortmund when he was at Wolfsburg and they played on the counter.
I can't believe my country played in a World Cup game today, overloaded the wide areas and and played a midfield 2 against 3 and left De Bruyne acres of space to run with the ball, he had the worst game I've ever seen him have and we still lost! We bet it all on De Bruyne having a a bad game and he lost. It was like a horrific poker loss in slow motion.
It really was nuts that Herdman was offered the England women's job and nobody bigger than Canada tried to poach him. He's coached youth in the men's game and what he did with our women's team was fantastic. Scotland (though they're doing okay) or Ireland should certainly have gone for him and he might well have taken the job.
I hope and will guess he'll stay until 2026 to coach us at home since our team is so young and should be quite solid in 2026 with Davies, David, Buchanan, Kone, Eustaqio, Johnston, Miller all 29 in under and each one having rapidly improved the last 2-3 years (and finding an RCB, an attacker or midfielder, either a LB or another midfielder, winger or striker (Davies is so versatile) and a keeper seems quite doable), but then he's gone. My guess is to club football though. He'll still only be 51.
But I'm definitely worried England or a big country where everyone hates each other like Belgium will offer him the Men's job in a month, or some new owner from America will offer him a Prem job. He's so good with building team chemistry that if you have a talented team that doesn't like each other he'd be a brilliant hire.
Canada looked fantastic. Credit to their manager, he has them playing some great stuff for the players they have. Belgium were made to look incredibly pedestrian. They possibly are incredibly pedestrian in my opinion.
Yeah just need to finish chances against Croatia to keep hopes alive of qualifying
Yeah they paid a heavy price for letting Davies take it,just hope they don't live to regret that decision in two games time
So you reckon David still misses that pen
I very much did. What I meant by that is despite Canada's near total domination a lack of cutting edge in the final third meant that they never really looked like scoring to me. This, incidentally, isn't a problem exclusive to Canada this World Cup thus far. We've seen teams playing well only to end up with a point or less due to substandard finishing.
I dunno, he probably wouldn't but he didn't step up to take it. I'll get slammed for this but I have a weird knack of correctly guessing the outcome of a penalty just by looking at the taker's facial expression during the run up, and between the sticks we're talking Courtois here (who seems to have left his penalty-saving woes firmly behind him).
It was wonderful to watch Canada play in a World Cup match at the pub.
If we don't get some composure in the final third however, we're going to end up like 82' Cameroon. Praised by neutrals but too immature and somewhat toothless to advance past the first hurdle.
The team's fitness was an issue after 65 min as well.
This team has surprised me this WC campaign though, so I am hoping they get it right in the next two matches.
We the North, eat some poutine, pet a moose, rub a beaver, and any other Canadian stereotype for luck!
If we don't get some composure in the final third however, we're going to end up like 82' Cameroon. Praised by neutrals but too immature and somewhat toothless to advance past the first hurdle.
The team's fitness was an issue after 65 min as well.
This team has surprised me this WC campaign though, so I am hoping they get it right in the next two matches.
We the North, eat some poutine, pet a moose, rub a beaver, and any other Canadian stereotype for luck!
Same sentiment.
I had a great moment at the pub in Montreal despite the defeat. I felt that Canada did very well overall albeit that the result was very unfortunately unlucky. Big thumbs down to that referee for denying 2 legit penalties other than the early one; he has been involved in serious scandals before. Nevertheless, I have a feeling that something good is about to happen for Canada soon. One thing I have learned from watching any team led by John Herdman (men's or women's) is that going in with the right mentality will always earn results.
Earlier in the day, I also managed to enjoy the moment among a group of pro-Japan supporters when their team defeated Germany. That was just glorious.
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While I agree it was a mistake for Davies to take the pen, this statement by @awop you're replying to was ludicrous, and if I'd seen this during the conversation I'd have challenged it. Hipster? Does awop have any clue about Alphonso's backstory? Parents fleeing a civil war in Liberia, Alphonso born in a refugee camp in Ghana, family moved to Canada, settled in Edmonton, made his MLS debut at age fifteen. He's just about the polar opposite of a "hipster." A truly dimwitted thing to say.
Williams looked pretty good when he came off the bench for Spain.
Definitely. A bigger talent than his brother, Inaki.
Belgium does what its needed.
Beating teams you are suppose to beat it's a virtue.
Italy isn't in this World Cup because they got 2 draws again Switzerland and 1 against Northern Ireland, and then lost to Macedonia in the playoffs.
I bet whatever you want that Belgium would have smashed those opponents, and would have qualified with no problems at all.
Oh i absolutely agree. I feel they don't always get enough credit for that.
That has been true for a long time, but I feel that time is more or less over now. Sure, we managed to win this one, but it won't last. We're awful and have been for several years. Our abysmal level didn't surprise me in the slightest. We've been sleepwalking towards mediocrity for a while now. We're not suddenly going to improve during this tournament. It wouldn't shock me at all if we lose our next two games.
Yeah, i also feel we're nearing the end of this period. They keep cutting it closer and closer. Like @AlexiV said, the game yesterday felt a bit like the Demark game at the Euros. But Canada were possibly even more dangerous.
Maybe they can still see out this group stage but after that it will truly be done and they're going to need a big overhaul, a fresh start under a different manager with a lot of new and younger players.
What on earth are you on about ? My comment has absolutely nothing to do with Davies's story, trying to create a link between the two is the truly dimwitted thing to do.
I'm just saying that you have an actual in form striker in Jonathan David and probably more apt penalty takers in that Canadian squad. Very few believe in them and after being absent of the World Cup for almost FORTY YEARS, letting your defender take your first chance to score is insanely dumb. As good as he is, after all the injury issues he's had recently, and a very spotty record, this was a mistake. But congrats anyway on your insane take.