[Group F]Croatia Vs Canada !EXCLUSIVE!
Group F of the 2022 FIFA World Cup took place from 23 November to 1 December 2022.[1] The group consisted of Belgium, Canada, Morocco and Croatia.[2] The top two teams, Morocco and Croatia, advanced to the round of 16, and later reached the semi-finals.[3] Morocco advanced to the knockout stage for the first time since 1986. By winning the group, they became the first African team to do so since Nigeria in 1998. Belgium failed to advance out of the group round for the first time, also since 1998.[4]
[Group F]Croatia Vs Canada
Fair play points would have been used as tiebreakers if teams' overall and head-to-head records were tied. These were calculated based on yellow and red cards received in all group matches as follows:[2]
The central midfielder, who has played for Besiktas since 2013, is the most capped player in Canadian history (97) and if he appears in all the group games he will become the first to reach a century.
They may not be as tactically complex as some sides but they will enter Qatar in better form than most teams. Croatia topped their Nations League group, winning their final four games to reach the semi-finals next summer.
Morocco and Croatia were consistent throughout all three matches, but the Moroccan side had a little more magic and dynamism to their game, beating both Canada and Belgium. They only gave up a single goal in the group hase and that was an own goal in the group finale.
Belgium have the air of a team whose cycle has come to an end. The likes of Romelu Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne, and Eden Hazard couldn't get it done and De Bruyne himself called the team old and ruled it out of the World Cup title race before the group stage was complete.
The top two teams from each group based on total points advanced to the single-elimination knockouts. If teams were tied on points, which did not occur in Group F, goal difference would have been the first tiebreaker followed by goals scored. If teams were also tied in those categories another set of tiebreakers was applied.
Belgium until recently were ranked as the No, 1 team in the world, but they were recently replaced by Brazil and the descent could be just beginning for the Red Devils as the golden generation reached its low point in Qatar with group stage elimination.
Manager Roberto Martinez must have been hoping that 2022 would finally be the occasion when the Red Devils lived up to the pre-tournament expectations, but they fell flat from the very first match. Martinez announced his departure following their group stage ouster.
Led by Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric, who despite his advancing years remains a superb player, the Croatians got the job done and qualified as group runner-up, but they didn't stand out for their performances in Group F.
Morocco showed why they are regarded as one of the strongest teams on the African continent, winning their group and advancing to the knockout stages for only the second time in their history (first time since 1986).
Friday's draw had Canada in Pot 4, which featured the lowest-ranked qualified teams. Rules of the draw meant that the Canadians could not be put in a group with fellow CONCACAF qualifiers Mexico and the U.S.
Canada and Croatia both failed to win their opening group games, with Sunday's showdown between the two taking on added significance in race to qualify from Group F. Belgium are long odds-on to win the group with Croatia, Canada and Morocco all set to battle it out for second place.
With mighty Belgium being their final group game, Croatia would be desperate to grab three-points here as it would put them in a great position for qualification into the knockout rounds, especially if Morocco fail to get anything out of their game against Belgium.
Croatia, a finalist in the 2018 World Cup, saw their opening match in Qatar end in a 0-0 stalemate against Morroco. A win against the North American side would put them in a promising position to advance into the knockout rounds before their final group match against Belgium.
Canada put themselves on notice with an impressive match against group favorite Belgium. They led the xG battle 2.63-0.77 and outshot the Red Devils 22-7, including a penalty kick in the opening 10 minutes. They became the first team in over 40 years not to score a goal after having over 20 shots and a spot kick in a single match.
The top spots will most likely be occupied by Belgium and Croatia, even though Canada and Morocco have the ability to cause upsets. Croatia topped a difficult Nations League A group, obtaining three more points than Belgium, who lost twice against the Netherlands.
Also, the Belgians and Croats enjoyed similarly solid performances in the World Cup qualifiers. The Red Devils have the higher Elo rating between the two teams, slightly superior players and this golden generation usually perform well in the group stages of major tournaments.
Two teams badly in need of three points collide when Croatia and Canada meet in a crucial Group F match of the 2022 World Cup on Sunday at Khalifa International Stadium in Ar-Rayyan, Qatar. After playing Morocco to a scoreless draw to open group play, Croatia are tied with Morocco for second in the group with one point. Meanwhile Canada sit at the bottom of the group after a tough 1-0 loss to Belgium.
Morocco breezed through their first qualifying group, scoring 20 goals and conceding just one despite it looking slightly tricky on paper. They then thumped DR Congo in the second leg of their play-off, taking a 5-1 lead on aggregate before conceding a late consolation. Having qualified only once before since 1998, that surely meant everything was looking up, right? Cue Vahid Halilhodzic being sacked at the end of August, just as preparations were in full swing. Incredibly, that was the third time that Halihodzic has been sacked after taking a team to the World Cup but before they actually played a game at the tournament.
Croatia will need to secure a win in this game to avoid a must-win situation against Belgium in their final group-stage game on Thursday. This is a must-win game for Canada, who will remain at the bottom of the table if they fail to pick up a win in this match and will be eliminated from the group stage. 041b061a72