Croatia pushes Canada out of FIFA World Cup

Croatia came from behind to knock Canada out of the 2022 FIFA World Cup with a 4-1 victory in their Group ‘F’ clash played at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar on Sunday.

Alphonso Davies opened the scoring for Canada after just two minutes – with their first-ever World Cup goal at the fifth attempt – but two goals from Andrej Kramaric either side of a Marko Livaja effort turned the game on its head. Substitute Lovro Majer then added a late fourth.

It left Canada pointless and heading home already ahead of their final group game against Morocco, with their first venture in the tournament since the 1986 edition in Mexico being brought to a premature end.

For Croatia, the win kept them top of the group. A point in their final game against Belgium on Thursday will be enough to see them progress. Canada’s big moment finally came after two minutes. Davies had seen a penalty saved in their opening defeat against Belgium, but he wasn’t to be denied again as he rose in the box to power home a header from Tajon Buchanan’s cross – notching the fastest goal of the World Cup so far.

There were question marks over Croatia’s energy levels after their draw against Morocco, but they showed all their experience to turn the game around before the break.

First it was Kramaric on 37 minutes, who latched onto a smart reverse pass from Ivan Perisic before finding the far corner from a tight angle. Then it was Livaja just before the break, as he picked up a pass from Josip Juranovic before driving a low pinpoint finish inside the near post from the edge of the box. (C.D)