Canada caught the world’s attention in its first match in a men’s World Cup in 36 years. It scored its first goal on this stage ever two minutes into its second. Yet its time in Qatar is going to be short.
Croatia responded to Alphonso Davies’s goal 68 seconds in with a masterclass of midfield and attacking play, overrunning and beating Canada 4–1 and mathematically eliminating the Concacaf nation from knockout-stage contention with a group game still to play. Canada joins host Qatar as nations whose tournaments are, for all intents and purposes, already over.
With Morocco beating Belgium earlier in the day and previously tying Croatia, the Atlas Lions and 2018 runner-up are tied on four points, both out of Canada’s reach. Belgium, meanwhile, is on three points, still alive heading into its group finale vs. Croatia.
It didn’t look like it would be a somber day for Canada early on. It took John Herdman’s side absolutely no time at all to get started. Davies capped a sequence that started with goalkeeper Milan Borjan by powerfully heading home the opening goal off Tajon Buchanan’s cross in the second minute, a historic moment in Canada’s men’s national team history.
After missing a penalty kick vs. Belgium, that moment had to feel like vindication for the Bayern Munich star, and it backed up Herdman’s comments in the build-up to the match. He caused a bit of a stir—and got quite the response from a Croatian tabloid—when he claimed that Canada was going to “F Croatia” in the aftermath of his side’s defeat to Belgium, and based on the evidence, at least at the start, he was not wrong.
At 68 seconds into the match, it was the fastest goal thus far at this World Cup, and the fastest in a group match in World Cup history since Clint Dempsey’s opener against Ghana in 2014 for the U.S. (29 seconds), according to Opta.
There can be a tendency to let up after such an emotional start and moment like that, but Canada remained on the front foot, conjuring a few more moments of danger and half chances as Croatia scrambled to get a foothold in the game over the opening 20 minutes.
Its best moment came in the 22nd minute, as Chelsea’s Mateo Kovačić slipped a pass through for Marko Livaja. All the forward could do was stick his foot out to try to stab it into goal, but Borjan was there to make the save.
Another warning shot came in the 26th minute, when Andrej Kramarić thought he had scored the equalizer, only for the flag to go up on what appeared to be a very tight call.
Livaja forced Borjan into action in the 36th minute, with the goalkeeper making a save from the forward’s sliding, close-range effort at the near post.
From there, it felt like a Croatia goal was coming, and on the ensuing sequence after Borjan’s save, it indeed arrived. It was Kramarić, who was given entirely too much space in the box, beating Borjan from the opposite side, after Canada failed to completely clear the danger off the corner kick that had been taken following Livaja’s chance.
Croatian pressure continued to build and it resulted in a second goal just before halftime. It was Livaja, who had been denied multiple times before, beating Borjan from the top of the box, with Canada unable to hold out and get to the break with the score still level.
Canada made a pair of changes at halftime, bring on Jonathan Osorio and Ismaël Koné for Cyle Larin and Stephen Eustáquio, and it nearly paid off immediately. Osorio had a chance to let one rip from 20 yards, and he swing his right leg through it powerfully, only to push the shot just wide of the far post.
Borjan made a tremendous save in the 54th minute to keep Canada within one. Kramarić was given plenty of space in the center of the box to receive a cross and turn it on frame, but the Canadian goalkeeper reacted well to parry it to safety.
That moment was made even bigger two minutes later, when Jonathan David nearly brought Canada level. He fired from 20 yards, only to have Croatian goalkeeper Dominik Livaković tip it over the bar and out for a corner.
Croatia always looked the more likely of the two to score next, though, and that’s precisely what happened at the 70-minute mark, when Kramarić scored his second of the game to all but put away Canada and help Croatia take a big step toward the last 16.
Canada couldn’t muster a response over the final 20 minutes, and it was Croatia that wound up nicking a fourth, as Lovro Majer scored on a 2-v-goalkeeper breakaway as Canada committed numbers forward out of desperation.
Canada will play for pride—and the first point in its men’s World Cup history—in the group finale against Morocco, where it can still have a say over which team goes through to the last 16 and in what order.
Here were the lineups for both teams:
Full World Cup Squads
Canada
GOALKEEPERS: Milan Borjan (Red Star Belgrade), James Pantemis (CF Montreal), Dayne St. Clair (Minnesota United)
DEFENDERS: Sam Adekugbe (Hatayspor), Derek Cornelius (Panetolikos), Alistair Johnston (CF Montreal), Richie Laryea (Toronto FC), Kamal Miller (CF Montreal), Steven Vitoria (Chaves), Joel Waterman (CF Montreal)
MIDFIELDERS: Stephen Eustaquio (FC Porto), Liam Fraser (Deinze), Atiba Hutchinson (Besiktas), Mark-Anthony Kaye (Toronto FC), Ismael Kone (CF Montreal), Jonathan Osorio (Toronto FC), Samuel Piette (CF Montreal), David Wotherspoon (St. Johnstone FC)
FORWARDS: Tajon Buchanan (Club Brugge), Lucas Cavallini (Vancouver Whitecaps), Jonathan David (Lille), Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich), Junior Hoilett (Reading), Cyle Larin (Club Brugge), Liam Millar (Basel), Ike Ugbo (Troyes)
Croatia
GOALKEEPERS: Ivo Grbić (Atlético Madrid), Ivica Ivušic (Osijek), Dominik Livaković (Dinamo Zagreb)
DEFENDERS: Borna Barišić (Rangers), Martin Erlić (Sassuolo), Joško Gvardiol (RB Leipzig), Josip Juranović (Celtic), Dejan Lovren (Zenit Saint Petersburg), Borna Sosa (Stuttgart), Josip Staničić (Bayern Munich), Josip Šutalo (Dinamo Zagreb), Domagoj Vida (AEK Athens)
MIDFIELDERS: Marcelo Brozović (Inter Milan), Kristijan Jakić (Eintracht Frankfurt), Mateo Kovačić (Chelsea), Lovro Majer (Rennes), Luka Modrić (Real Madrid), Mario Pašalić (Atalanta), Luka Sušić (Salzburg), Nikola Vlašić (Torino)
