Croatia recovered from an early setback to beat Canada 4-1 in a key Group F clash on Sunday evening. After a promising, but ultimately fruitless showing against Belgium in their first World Cup match since 1986, Canada came into this clash full of confidence......READ THE FULL ARTICLE>>>
It showed very quickly too, with Alphonso Davies tearing into the box to head home Tajon Buchanan’s excellent cross – thus becoming the first Canadian male to ever score at a World Cup.
Playing in a bold 4-2-4 system, the CanMNT kept their foot on the gas and for a good 10 minutes, had the Croatians purely on the back foot.
However, experience took over and the more Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic and Co got on the ball, the further back Canada were pushed.
The game was a huge one for both outfits as they vie for a spot in the last-16. Canada lost to Belgium in matchweek 1, so another loss on Sunday would have all but ended their World Cup campaign.
Croatia, meanwhile, drew with Morocco last time out and play Belgium next week, so they too were desperate for a win. And when all was said and done in Qatar, Croatia picked up the win to knock Canada out of the World Cup.
Kovacic’s brilliant performance has suggested why Chelsea should try a 4-3-3 formation after the World Cup. Mateo Kovacic made five tackles and created four chances against Canada, while maintaining a passing accuracy of 93% which was more than any other player on the pitch.
His brilliant performance in the 4-3-3 lineup has suggested why Potter should switch to the lineup after the World Cup. Because this lineup suits Kovacic well and helped him move freely and deliver his quality on the pitch.
