Belgium, one of the favorite team to win this year’s edition of the FIFA World Cup eked out a narrow win over a stubborn Canadian team in their opening fixture of the showpiece held in Qatar.
The star-studded Belgian team, ranked as the second-best team in the world currently, only second to Brazil, went into the fixture as overwhelming favorites.
However, they were greeted by a determined Canadian team, eager to impress on the world stage.
Canada, in their first world cup in three decades are ranked number 41 by FIFA. The North American team gained many admirers as they held their own against a team that boasts the likes of Manchester City ace Kevin de Bruyne, Real Madrid stars Edin Hazard and Thibaut Courtois.
Canada’s Alphonso Davies missed a 10th minute penalty against the European giants, on the hunt for their first world cup triumph. Davies will live to rue missing the golden chance just before the teams went to halftime break.
The only goal in the game was scored Mitchy Batshuayi at the 44th minute. The Belgians who came in third in the 2018 World Cup held in Russia will hope for a better performance when they face African giants Morrocco in their next fixture on Sunday.
The North Africa side surprised many when they held 2018 losing finalists Croatia to a goalless draw. The Luka Modric Croatia will also hope for a better showing when they lock horns with Cananda in their must win duel on Sunday.
