Maple Leafs and Terrified Devils — Canada vs. Belgium Game Report

In a World Cup that sparked considerable controversy from the start, few would have believed that the events unfolding on the pitch could cause any kind of shock, especially after just four days of proceedings. However, with only twelve games played, a handful of pre-tournament favorites have already been severely humiliated. On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia dispatched Lionel Messi's Argentina in arguably one of the biggest upsets in recent international football history, a day later the Japanese beat the Germans in a draw in Doha, hours after Morocco pushed Croatia all the way. Draw 0-0. Next, it was Canada's turn to dream, as they took on a Belgian side full of familiar names.

Photograph: Nick Potts/PA (Source: Guardian)

For a painful 36-year period, World Cup qualification had eluded the Reds. of Canada in Qatar represents their first appearance at FIFA's flagship international competition since a disastrous exit in Mexico '86, a campaign that netted exactly zero points and zero goals.

If entering this year's tournament symbolizes the dawn of a new era in Canadian football, then perhaps the opposite can be said for Belgium, with many suggesting the sun is gradually setting on their so-called 'golden generation' of talent—although that cliche seems a bit stretched considering the Red Devils will still have Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard, Thibaut Courtois and Romelu Lukaku in their ranks when hosting the World Cup in North America in 2026.

That's right, the tale of a maverick young upstart, devoid of fear or the weight of expectation, punching out a wily old competitor working under the label of classic underachievers, is a worthy description of the four -ninety minutes we saw in Al-Rayyan on Wednesday evening. From the start, the Canadians pushed aggressively, forced the game into Belgium's final third and, more importantly, carried a significant offensive threat.

Jonathan David, who has already scored nine goals in fifteen Ligue 1 appearances for Lille this season, provided a focal point in the middle, while the running power of Alphonso Davies, playing a much more advanced role than that of to which Bundesliga audiences are accustomed to, and the energy and ingenuity of Tajon Buchanan, gave Belgium full-backs a considerable headache on either flank.

Indeed, after seven minutes, a typical Buchanan burst down the Canadian right-hand side earned his team a corner, with the Club Brugge winger securing the end of Junior Hoilett's free-kick. With the ball only half clear and bouncing dangerously into the Belgian box, Buchanan leaped to aim for a snap on goal, but it was blocked by Yannick Carrasco's flailing arm.

While the offense was first missed by Zambian whistle Janny Sikazwe - who, truthfully, had a bit of a stench throughout - VAR stepped in and asked the referee to throw in a second shot of eye. After viewing the footage, Sikazwe, who...