Canada recorded the highest expected goals (xG) total out of any World Cup game so far against Belgium, but are still yet to score in the tournament.
In a tournament that's seen England beat Iran 6-2, and Spain put seven past Costa Rica, it may come as a surprise that it's in fact Canada who have recorded the highest xG. The xG for the CanMNT on Wednesday night was 3.35, although they are still awaiting their first ever World Cup goal.
Canada had 21 shots against Belgium during their 1-0 defeat, as Michy Batshuayi became the hero for the Red Devils with the only goal of the game. Alphonso Davies missed a first-half penalty, and head coach John Herdman will be making sure they all do shooting practice before they take on Croatia.
The CanMNT were one of the surprise packages in the first round of World Cup group games, along with the likes of Saudi Arabia and Japan. The only difference being, they had nothing to show for their immense efforts.
Although they lost 1-0 to Belgium, they were the much better side throughout the 90 minutes. The Canadian's swarmed the Belgian's despite it being their first appearance in the competition since 1986, but were made to pay for being wasteful.
Canada are in a tough group, meaning that any slip-up could spell the end of their tournament, especially after losing the opening game. But after playing Belgium, they'll be full of confidence ahead of facing Croatia and Morocco.
Head coach Herdman is very confident already, as he sent a warning to Croatia by claiming that Canada were going to "f*** them up" in their second group game. Herdman was frustrated after the final whistle against Belgium, as his side had missed a big opportunity.
But he was also proud over how far they'd come as a group since he had taken over. With adrenaline running through his veins, he called out Croatia - their next opponents.
"I told them (Canada) they belong here and we’re going to go and eff--- Croatia," he said with a smile in FIFA’s official post-game pitchside interview. "That’s as simple as it gets."
Croatian coach Zlatko Dalic later gave his views on Herdman's comments, as he said: "I’m not sure how nice it is to say something like that but it’s his right. I think we need to show on the pitch that we’re better."
The game is a must-win for Canada, as Belgium will be heavy favourites to beat Morocco, and victory for Croatia would surely end their World Cup dream. They've proven they can mix with the big boys, but they'll need to covert their chances this time around.
