Canada pay costly penalty

O Canada, the wait remains.

Alphonso Davies had the chance to score his nation’s first-ever World Cup goal, to grab a quick lead on Belgium. As Davies readied for the spot kick in the 11th minute after a hand ball, red-clad Canadian fans at the other end of Ahmed bin Ali Stadium buzzed in anticipation for a moment decades in the making.

‘‘You’re carrying the weight of a nation: 36 years of waiting — longer than 36 for our first goal,’’ coach John Herdman said.

defeats against Algeria in 1982 and Mexico in 2018.

In the other World Cup openers for Germany, the team had won 13

Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois guessed correctly to dive right and batted Davis’ attempt with his forearm. The ball bounced away, and the Canadians never got any closer to scoring.

Despite dominating the world’s secondranked team in Canada’s first World Cup match since 1986, the Canadians fell to Belgium 1-0 as Michy Batshuayi scored on a quick counter in the 44th minute.

Croatia and Morocco drew 0-0 in the other group F match.

matches and drawn four.

Despite giving away the penalty for a clumsy challenge on left back David Raum, Japan goalkeeper

Shuichi Gonda made a string of saves and was player of the game.

‘‘We fought as a team,’’ Gonda said. ‘‘We have to make sure we never stop.’’

Japan will next play Costa Rica while Germany will face Spain. The Spanish routed Costa Rica 7-0 in the other Group E match.

Germany’s buildup was fraught by protests and political statements because of Qatar’s human rights record and its treatment of migrant workers and members of the LGBTQ community.

Germany midfielder Joshua Kimmich complained before the match that he had the feeling he wasn’t able to fully enjoy playing at the tournament because of all the negative coverage.

AP