Canada may not have gotten the result they wanted, but Alphonso Davies still produced the goal they needed.
Croatia won 4-1, shifting into high gear after a tepid start to the tournament, and Canada can no longer qualify for the knockout round. However, in the years to come, Canadian fans will remember that one history-making goal for their side more than they lament defensive lapses that let the game slip away.
To know why, you have to go back to 1986, with Canada going to their first-ever World Cup. They weren’t embarrassed — facing Michel Platini and France, for example, they held out for 79 minutes in a 1-0 defeat — but they left the tournament with zero points and zero goals.
They had to wait 36 years to get another crack at the men’s tournament, but the World Cup remained cruel. Canada suffered arguably the most unjust result of the tournament so far against Belgium, with Davies seeing his early penalty kick saved. Canada’s wait for a goal from a Canadian man at a World Cup would extend for a few more excruciating days. With Croatia the opponent, the prospect of their wait getting extended was looming.
Davies made sure that once gameday came around, Canada fans would get their moment quickly. A long ball to Cyle Larin found the Canada striker in a seam, and he shuttled the ball out to Tajon Buchanan. With Canada surging forward and Croatia simply not realizing the game had kicked off, Buchanan drove a cross to the back post, where Davies soared high to power a header home.
CANADA HAS SCORED ITS FIRST EVER FIFA WORLD CUP GOAL 🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/aF2CBvGUFz
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) November 27, 2022
Canada head coach John Herdman had to calm a bit of a storm over his “F Croatia” post-game motivational speech after that Belgium loss, but you have to say, giving that kind of team talk is designed to get exactly this kind of response. Canada, the team with four previous World Cup games and zero goals in any of them, had no fear at all of Croatia, an established global power who went to the 2018 final.
It was a perfect reaction for this Canadian team, who have time and again shown that they believe they can play with anyone. That attitude adjustment breaks decades of tradition for their men’s national team, who were generally trying to sneak a lucky goal and hang on for dear life rather than make their opponents worry.
The “New Canada,” as Herdman likes to call them? They’re a problem for every team they face.
Yes, the game itself slipped away as the first half wore on. Andrej Kramarić equalized in the 36th minute after a long spell of Croatian pressure on Milan Borjan’s goal, and Marko Livaja gave them a 44th minute lead after a moment of poor defensive work on the Canadian back line.
Canada made a real go of it coming out for the second half, sending a few shots barely wide, but Kramarić struck again as Herdman’s side faced repeated problems in central midfield and inside their own box. Croatia, after not really looking quite right against Morocco, roared to life, and Canada wasn’t quite good enough in critical moments to keep pace. A stoppage-time fourth from Lovro Majer flattered Croatia.
It happens. Sometimes, even when you belong on this stage, you lose 4-1 to Croatia. There are only two or three teams in this World Cup that can be completely confident in their ability to avoid getting put in the spin cycle by Croatia the way Canada was for spells. Canada’s inexperience came through, and they’re one of the first teams to be officially eliminated after arguably the most difficult opening pair of fixtures anyone in the tournament had.
However, Davies’ goal should be seen for what it is: a true watershed moment for Canada on the men’s side. It’s definitively not the “biggest moment in Canadian soccer history,” when Canada’s women have literal gold medal on their shelves, but it is the announcement that Canada’s men’s national team has truly arrived at this level.
[lawrence-related id=10457,10286]