Canada’s World Cup campaign began in Group B alongside Switzerland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Qatar.
In the first match, at Toronto Stadium, Canada drew 1-1 with Bosnia courtesy of a late Cyle Larin goal. Canada dominated the second half but were extremely wasteful in front of goal.
The result effectively made the second match in Vancouver against Qatar a must-win, and the team delivered with a tremendous performance that resulted in a 6-0 scoreline. Jonathan David starred with a hat trick, Larin added another to his tally, while Nathan Saliba also found the scoresheet with a great free kick.
Saliba entered the match in the second half after star midfielder Ismael Kone suffered a broken leg from a tackle by Qatar’s Assim Madibo. Kone was ruled out for the remainder of the tournament and is unlikely to see the pitch until the end of the calendar year. Madibo was suspended by FIFA for five matches.
In the final group stage match, also at BC Place Stadium, Switzerland claimed top spot in Group B with a 2-1 win over Canada, Promise David getting on the scoresheet after Switzerland were in control for two-thirds of the match. It meant Canada finished second in the group and had to depart Vancouver for Los Angeles to play their Round of 32 fixture against South Africa.
That’s when Stephen Eustaquio, captain in Alphonso Davies’ absence, made himself a national hero with a goal in the 92nd minute to give Canada a 1-0 win and their first-ever knockout stage victory. Encouragingly, Davies did make his first appearance of the tournament, coming on as a 75th minute substitute and had an immediate impact.