In a close and hard-fought match, Belgium narrowly defeated Canada 1-0 in their World Cup opener. Despite being the better team for much of the match, Canada could not take advantage of a number of opportunities, including a missed penalty, and ultimately paid the price as Belgium’s Michy Batshuayi scored the only goal of the game. Belgium’s Kevin de Bruyne was named Man of the Match for his performance in midfield, but admitted afterwards that he wasn’t sure why, saying “I don’t think we played a good game”. Regardless, the win gives Belgium a valuable three points in a tough group that also includes Croatia and Morocco.
It was a game of few chances, with both teams cancelling each other out for long periods, but Canada will feel hard done by not to have come away with at least a point. It was a deserved victory for Belgium, but Canada will feel hard done by not to have taken something from the game. De Bruyne was not the only Belgian player to shine as Courtois made a number of important saves to keep his team in the game. Despite the less than impressive display, Belgium will be relieved to have picked up all three points from their opening game which places them at the top of the group. They will now turn their attention to their second Group F fixture, against Morocco on Sunday.