Hello and welcome to Sportstar’s highlights of the FIFA World Cup Group F match between Croatia and Canada, happening at the Khalifa International Stadium.
And the final whistle is blown. What a turnaround this has been for Croatia. After suffering a setback in the opening minutes of the game, they have shown character and composure to stomp Canada out of the World Cup. Croatia stays at the top of group F with this massive win
GOAALLLLL!!! Majer is the man this time! A mistake from miller leads to a counter from Orisic. He runs into the Canadian box and selflessly passes it to Majer who taps it in
Davies on the left whips in a searching cross. It is headed wide but Hoilett is there to get it. The latter attempts to finish way outside te box but fails
Six added minutes
Orisic from the edge of the box shoots. A wild effort and it goes straight into Brojan’s gloves.
Perisic OUT, Orisic IN; Modric OUT, Pasalic IN
Miller and Modric are booked after they got into a tussle. Canada was awarded a free kick but Modric kicked the ball, an agitated Miller pushed Modric down and they both are shown the yellow
Final 10 minutes of the game and it looks like Croatia will take home the three points
CHANCEEE!!! Croatia squanders. The attack was initiated by Kovacic who finds a running Perisic on the left. The latter shoots but Brojan keeps him out. Kovacic is there to collect the rebound but squanders
Hutchinson OUT, Adekugbe IN; David OUT, Cavallini IN
Kramaric OUT, Vlasic IN
KRAMARICC!!!! WHAT A TIME TO GET YOUR BRACEE. Brilliantly worked goal. Perisic on the left pulls the strings and places a wonderful cross that finds Kramaric on the left side of the box. The latter does well and whips a well directed shot right into the bottom left corner
Kone’s through ball in an attempt to find Buchanan is intercepted by Lovren
Canada gets a freekick in a dangerous position. Davies is pushed down by three convering Croatian defenders. Hoilett takes the free kick but shoots straight on to the Croatian wall
Lareya OUT, Hoilett IN
Livaja OUT, Petkovic IN
Wonderfull lofted ball from Hutchinson to find Buchanan on the right but Perisic tidies things up as he puts in a timely tackle
Dejan Lovren is booked for his foul on Johnston
WHAT A SAVEEE!!! Brojan stops a certain goal. Modric receives the ball from Brozovic on the right and he puts in a cross to set up Kramaric. He shoots without second thought but Brojan dives full length to deny Kramaric
Free kick for Croatia and Modric takes it. He puts in a short pass. But a wasted opportunity in the end
Kovacic being as brilliant as ever. He sprints from the Croatian half on the right. He finds Perisic but nothing comes off it
Buchanan is causing trouble for the Croatian defense. He evades a couple of defenders and whips in a cross to find Lareya in the box. He had the option to head it in but he choses to pass. Osorio gets the ball and lets one fly. An audacious effort but worth taking. His shot goes just wide
Larin OUT, Osorio IN; Estaquio OUT, Kone IN
What a first half this has been. From being absolutely outplayed in the initial 15 minutes, Croatia have risen up to find itself in the lead going into the half time. Alphonso Davies scored Canada’s first ever World Cup goal and put Canada in the lead within two minutes but Andrej Kramaric and Marko Livaja scored in quick succession later in the half to put Croatia in the driver’s seat. Game on!
What a chance!! Brozocvic comes up with a brilliant through ball to Kramaric. He pases it to Kovacic and finds Livaja eventually. He shoots but it is well blocked by Brojan
Canada in the backfoot now. Croatian attack is constantly testing the Canadian defense. This time it is Sosa who runs on the right and puts in a searching cross but it is cleared
Five added minutes
LIVAJAAAA!!!! Brilliant link-up by Juranovic. He runs across the Canadian defense and passes it to Livaja and he finds the bottom left corner!! Sweet finish
Canada gets a throw in and Laryea is the man taking it. In an attempt to find David, he throws but it is intercepted
Estaquio is down and looks uncomfortable. Seems like he has pulled his hamstring. Medical assistants rush in. But it isn’t anything serious as he walks off to the sidelines.
KRAMARICCCCC!!!! THERE IS THE EQUALISER. The buildup started with a Croatian corner. Kovacic on the right passes to find Brozovic who picks a running Kramaric and he puts it right into the far corner. Cool as a cucumber
Throw in for Croatia. Juranovic throws it into the box to find a jumping Perisic. He heads it to Kramaric, who is marked by three defenders. Kramaric then finds Modric on the right but the Madrid man fails to finish it
Buchanan steps up yet again!! Perisic was running dangerously into the Candian box but Buchanan cuts him with a good tackle
Free kick for Canada in a set piece position. Davies takes it. He whips out a lofted ball but Croatian defenders flood the box and clears the ball away
Livaja, running deep into the left flank trips and falls. He protests for a foul as Buchanan was running behind him. But the referee thinks otherwise and the play continues
OFFSIDEE!!! What a goal this would’ve been. Modric in the center of the pitch finds a running Brozovic. He in turn finds Livaja. Kramaric gets the ball inside the box. He runs uncomfortably close to Brojan and finishes but Livaja was caught offiside
Attack brewing on theright for Canada. Davies gets the ball and passes it to Buchanan. The latter moves a bit to his left and puts in a cross but Lovren kicks it out of danger
A first real chance for Croatia. Kovacic made a brilliant run, cutting through the Candian defense and passes into the box aiming towards Modric but the ball goes straight into Borjan’s gloves. If only the pass was directed a bit towards the left!
Canada is troubling Croatia left right and center. Miller’s long ball finds Davies on the left. He does well to run past a couple of defenders. Davies puts in a cross in an attempt to find Larin in the box but the latter moves a tad bit quick than he would’ve liked
An opening yet again for Canada. Jhonston started the attack on the right to find Buchanan, who pushes the ball into the penalty box. Larin tries a backheel but the pass finds no one. Canada in control
Larin is down in his side of the penalty box as Perisic pulls him down. Free kick for Canada
Canada gets another opportunity and it is Davies yet again. The Bayern man rushes into the penalty box as he recieves a through ball but Kovacic intercepts with a timely tackle
Corner for Croatia as Johnston covers Perisic on the left and pushes the ball out. Modric takes the corner and he puts in a short pass to find Perisic but the danger is averted
Buchanan starts a Canadian counter, he finds Hutchinson on the left and he in turn finds Davies. The Canadian captain then puts in a searching pass in an atempt to find a running Larin, who is eventually caught offside
Ooh! Brojan in a tricky situation as Kramaric on the right recieved a long ball from Modric. The former dishes out a lob cross that hit the top of the crossbar and is back into play but Brojan grabs it eventually
Davies has handed Canada a huge boost right from the get go and it is there for everyone to see. Davies initiates yet another attack on the left flank but the effort goes in vein as Croatian defense steps up
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE DAVIES!!! He scores the quickest goal of this edition!!! Brilliant line of play from the Canadian midfield. Buchanan whips in an inch perfect cross to find Davies on the other end who heads it home. This is Canada’s first ever World Cup goal. Who else but Davies!!
Croatia will start and Livaja will have his first kick of the match.
Five minutes away from kick-off and it’s time for national anthems. Croatia’s national anthem is being played followed by Canada’s anthem.
LINE-UPS!
Number crunching
Built in 1976, Khalifa International is the oldest among all the stadiums in Qatar. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
World Cup form
Croatia: Drew 0-0 vs Morocco
Canada: Lost 0-1 vs Belgium
Predicted XI
PREVIEW
Canada had just lost its first World Cup match in 36 years, outplaying Belgium for much of a 1-0 defeat, and an emotional John Herdman revealed in the on-field interview what he had just told his players during a postgame huddle.
“I told them they belong here. And we’re going to go and F Croatia,” the coach said with a smile, using a single letter to avoid a televised profanity. “That’s as simple as it gets.”
His words reveberated all the way to Zagreb as Sunday’s Croatia-Canada game approached.
Croatia’s 24 Sata (24 Hours) tabloid ran a fullpage photo of a naked Herdman with Maple Leaf flags over his mouth and private parts and a headline that translated to: “You have the mouth, but do you have the (guts) as well?”
Commenting Saturday on Herdman’s words, Croatia coach Zlatko Dalić used the word “respect” 13 times in a 90-second span.
“This way of putting words together is not a sign of respect,” he said through a translator. “The way we play, the way we behave and the way we respect all others are the reasons we are worthy of respect.”
Sitting next to Dalić, winger Ivan Perišić said simply: “I second the head coach and I cannot wait for the match to begin.”
Speaking before Dalić, Herdman used humor in an attempt to defuse tensions.
“When you get a text from your wife telling me you need to start working out before you get home, yeah, you think you know something’s going on,” Herdman said, noting the newspaper image was of a trimmer midsection than his own.
“My wife’s coming after you guys,” he told a reporter from that Croatian paper, laughing. “She wishes she got that guy. I’ve got a bit more of a belly than that. I’ve been eating too much.”
On Thursday, Herdman had explained what his intent was.
“You say those things in an impassioned moment trying to inspire your team in a huddle, and when you’re asked the question what you said in that huddle, yeah, it was what I said,” he said.
“It’s not massively respectful to Croatian people and the Croatian national team. I understand very well where they’re at on the world stage. But in that moment, you’ve taken your men to that next place,” he added.
Playing Croatia for the first time, Canada could be eliminated with another defeat.
Croatia, which lost the 2018 final to France, is the world’s 12th-ranked team and opened with a 0-0 draw against Morocco. Star Luka Modrić, playing what is likely his last World Cup at age 37, put a first-half shot over the crossbar.
Canada has played just four World Cup games in its history and still is searching for its first goal. The Canadians outshot the Belgians 21-9 but gave up a 44th-minute goal to Michy Batshuayi from a long pass on a counter. Alphonso Davies had a chance to put Canada ahead in the 11th minute but his penalty kick was saved by goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
“We know exactly what our slingshot is and we’ve got to be ready to attack that across different games now because, as I say, the cover’s off from Canada,” Herdman said. ”I think people come into this game, the next games respecting us a little bit more.”
Captain Atiba Hutchinson, at 39 the only member of the current roster alive when Canada went 0-3 at the 1986 World Cup, can make his 100th international appearance Sunday — Julian de Guzman is second with 89.
Midfielder Jonathan Osorio is looking forward to facing the last World Cup’s runner-up.
“We like to play the best,” he said after the Belgium match. “We’re excited for the challenge”.
-AP
When is the FIFA World Cup match between Canada vs Croatia?
The FIFA World Cup Group C match between Canada and Croatia will start at 9:30pm IST at the Khalifa International stadium.
Where to watch the live telecast of Canada vs Croatia in the FIFA World Cup 2022 in India?
The live telecast of the Group C match between Canada and Croatia will be available on Sports18 in India.
Where to watch the live stream of Canada vs Croatia in the FIFA World Cup 2022 in India?
The live stream of the Group C match between Canada and Croatia will be available on Voot, Jio Cinema in India.
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