Belgium’s bubble burst
Roberto Martinez’s side — which had finished third in the last edition of the tournament — was shown the door after the group stage, with a win, a draw and a disappointing loss to Morocco.
While World Cup 2022 has presented some of the most unexpected upsets, World No. 2 Belgium’s early exit is, arguably, the biggest shock. The Red Devils — still having most members of its ‘Golden Generation’, such as Romelu Lukaku, Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne and Thibaut Courtois — looked toothless, with their shot conversion rate of just 2.9 percent — the worst for any team to have scored a goal at the tournament.
Roberto Martinez’s side — which had finished third in the last edition of the tournament — was shown the door after the group stage, with a win, a draw and a disappointing loss to Morocco.
Martinez, himself, resigned within hours of the exit. But the peril of one Golden Generation saw the rise of another from a different country — one that became the first African side to top its group since 1998 (Nigeria) — Morocco.
The Atlas Lions — after a dull draw in their opening match against Croatia — roared in style, scoring four goals and making it to the round of 16 for the first time since 1986 and for the second time ever.
Croatia, the runner up in 2018, had to toil hard to earn a spot in the knockouts. Starting its campaign with a goalless draw against Morocco, it conceded a goal within 68 seconds against Canada.
But a brace from Andrej Kramaric and a goal each, from Marko Livaja and Lovro Majer saw it earn a commanding win over Canada.
In its final match, Belgium’s missed chances and shots off the woodwork became Croatia’s boon as it huffed and puffed its way into the pre-quartefinals.
Canada, returning to the World Cup after 36 years, did score unlike its previous appearance but was one of the earliest teams to be eliminated, following its loss to Croatia.