Alphonso Davies missed a golden chance for Canada to take a 10th-minute lead against Belgium from the penalty spot after a clear handball by Yannick Carrasco that was punished by VAR after the referee’s initial mistake.
The problem for Davies was that he was up against Thibout Courtois, widely regarded as the best goalkeeper in the world in 2022 thanks to his stellar performances for Real Madrid.
The Belgian usually pops up when his club or country needs him, at crucial moments, and this time was no exception as he dived to his right and guessed the Canadian star’s shot.
A shot with little power and little placement that did not put Courtois in great trouble, despite the ball popping out for a rebound.
The ball was in the direction of Davies again, although he was unable to put the shot together and the danger passed immediately to end a crucial moment that could have changed the course of the match.
After a great first half, Canada went into the break trailing with a goal by Michy Batsuahyi and indignant with the referee for not pointing out two other penalties in Belgium’s area that seemed clear.
