Canada vs Morocco FIFA World Cup Live Score 1-12-2022
They at least have a World Cup finals goal to their name though, as at the fifth attempt they finally broke their duck, and it was the man who agonisingly missed a penalty against Belgium in their opening fixture who got it, Alphonso Davies. They will be able to reminisce about that moment, and the fact that they led the 2018 finalists for over 30 minutes, as they now turn their attentions to 2026. They should definitely have got a result against a lacklustre Belgian side, having missed a penalty and squandered numerous more openings but could not take them, becoming just the second side after hosts Qatar to exit the competition. Morocco head into their final Group F game high on confidence after overcoming Belgium on Sunday, a team ranked 20 places ahead of them in the FIFA world rankings.
In a remarkable performance, the Atlas Lions harried an uninspired Belgium team that lacked any fluidity despite a wealth of talent in their squad. Morocco registered more shots on target even though the Red Devils dominated possession and were ultimately more clinical, netting two goals in the second half. Morocco have yet to concede, with Paris Saint-Germain’s Achraf Hakimi marshalling a well-drilled defensive line that kept Croatia at bay in their opening match. A draw against Canada, who are already out of the tournament, would guarantee Morocco a place in the Round of 16. They could even progress with a defeat, depending on the result of Belgium’s match with Croatia – which will be held at the same time. And indeed, Morocco – even in their current form – will know Canada are no pushover. They were unlucky to lose their first game against Belgium after dominating large segments of the match and linked up well in midfield, creating several chances. In the end, it was wayward finishing that cost them, including a penalty miss from Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies.
Davies was able to redeem himself in the next match against Croatia, scoring the tournament’s fastest goal so far, but his team would go on to lose the game 4-1. They will hope not to finish the tournament on zero points again like they did in 1986, but there is no doubting that there are good foundations in place and a solid youthful squad available to take forward to the next World Cup, which they will co-host. This year, the Maple Leafs were just unfortunate to be drawn against the second and third-placed sides from 2018, and possibly Africa’s strongest nation at these finals.
Canadian boss John Herdman has the choice of either going all out for some points in what is essentially a dead game for them, or whether to give some fringe players an opportunity to feature. Ismael Kone has featured as a substitute twice and could come in for 39-year-old Atiba Hutchinson, who may struggle to start in a third game this week. Cyle Larin did not make much of an impact from the start in place of Junior Hoilett against Croatia, so the latter may come back in with Davies moving further forward alongside Jonathan David. Moroccan keeper Yassine Bounou was a very late casualty before their tie with Belgium, as he was replaced by Munir Mohamedi following the playing of the national anthems after feeling unwell. Noussair Mazraoui passed a late fitness test to start at full-back despite going off injured against Croatia in their group opener. Regragui named an entirely unchanged side initially until the late change in goal, and he will likely stick with the same 10 outfield players again from the start here.
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