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Reading: Herdman: Canada 'showed they belong' despite World Cup opener defeat to Belgium
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Football

Herdman: Canada 'showed they belong' despite World Cup opener defeat to Belgium

Even though Canada lost their opening match 1-0 to Belgium on Wednesday, John Herdman thinks they "showed that they do belong" in the World ...

Chima Joseph Ugo
Chima Joseph Ugo - Editor-in-chief November 24, 2022
Updated November 23, 2022 at 11:07 PM
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Herdman: Canada 'showed they belong' despite World Cup opener defeat to Belgium
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Herdman: Canada 'showed they belong' despite World Cup opener defeat to Belgium

Even though Canada lost their opening match 1-0 to Belgium on Wednesday, John Herdman thinks they "showed that they do belong" in the World Cup.

Returning to the World Cup after a 36-year absence, Canada dominated the first half and ought to have taken the lead when Yannick Carrasco handled Tajon Buchanan's shot to result in a penalty.

Alphonso Davies' penalty kick was stopped by Thibaut Courtois, and Michy Batshuayi scored Belgium's winning goal just before halftime to ensure Canada's World Cup comeback was unsuccessful.

Despite the disappointing result, Canada's head coach Herdman was pleased with his team's performance after such a long spell away from international football's top competition.

"They showed that they [Canada] do belong," Herdman told reporters in his post-match news conference. "It's been a long time since we've been back.

"The fans tried to warm the stadium and I'm sure they walked away proud that we are a football nation. I'm really proud.

"We had a couple of goals, to play fearless and to entertain. We had other goals but never got to those moments."

Canada finished the game with 22 shots to Belgium's nine, but they only hit the target with three of those as they drew a blank, becoming just the third team in World Cup history to fail to score a goal in their first four matches.

Herdman complimented Belgium's defending, adding: "The stats would say we are a ruthless team, we just couldn't find the net.

"When you have the Real Madrid goalkeeper [Courtois] it makes a difference, when you also have [Toby] Alderweireld, [Jan] Vertonghen, [Leander] Dendoncker, it’s difficult to get through.

"I thought sometimes it was one touch too many around the box, but when you outshoot Belgium you can't complain too much. Sometimes it's your night, and sometimes it's not."

Herdman was asked why Davies, a defender, took the penalty ahead of the likes of striker Jonathan David, who has scored nine goals in 15 games for Ligue 1 side Lille this season, including two penalties.

Herdman defended Davies, saying: "It was a big moment, we were waiting to get that first goal.

"I'm proud of Phonzy [Davies], he's picked the ball up. It's a big moment for any player, carrying the weight of a nation. It takes a special character.

"When you have an $85 million player, let him take it. He practices just like Jonny David. Give Courtois credit too, that was some good keeping."

One positive for Canada is that Morocco and Croatia, the other teams in Group F, played out a goalless draw earlier in the day, meaning Herdman's side still has a decent chance of getting through.

With Croatia up next for Canada on Sunday, Herdman acknowledged both the importance and difficulty of that fixture, explaining: "The group is wide open after the Morocco and Croatia result.

"But teams know us now, the cover is off, teams will know what we do and we're coming up against a formidable team in Croatia who have a midfield to die for."

Tags: Football

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