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Photos: Croatia show quality to dispatch Canada 4-1

Alphonso Davies scores Canada’s first ever World Cup goal, but it does not prevent his team’s early exit from the tournament.

Croatia's Ivan Perisic in action with Canada's Alistair Johnston
Croatia's Ivan Perisic battles with Canada's Alistair Johnston in a hard-fought match. [Hannah McKay/Reuters]
Published On 27 Nov 2022

Alphonso Davies netted Canada‘s first goal at a men’s World Cup, but it was Croatia, spearheaded by a brace from Andrej Kramaric, who came away with an impressive 4-1 Group F win that ended any hope of the North Americans advancing.

After Davies had scored on Sunday with a bullet header just over a minute into play, Croatia showed their class with Kramaric levelling in the 36th minute and Marko Livaja putting the 2018 finalists ahead just before the break.

Croatia got two more in the second half with Kramaric getting his second in the 70th minute and Lovro Majer scoring in stoppage time.

Croatia join Morocco at the top of the Group F standings on four points and now need only a draw in their final game against Belgium to progress. Canada, in the World Cup for just the second time, are bottom of the table and still looking for their first win.

Canadian fans cheer at the stand prior the World Cup group F soccer match
Canadian fans dress for the success of their squad before the World Cup Group F match with Croatia at Khalifa International Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar. [Martin Meissner/AP]
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Croatia players pose for a team group photo
Croatia, a 2018 World Cup finalist, snap a team photo before taking on Canada in their second match of the 2022 tournament. [Marko Djurica/Reuters]
Canada's Alphonso Davies
Coming out of the gate with a blistering show of force, Canada's Alphonso Davies, left, scores the opening goal just a little more than a minute into play. [Martin Meissner/AP]
Canada's Richie Laryea in action with Croatia's Luka Modric
Croatia seem a bit shaken after conceding an early goal and don't look their usual selves in the opening moments of the match as Canada press their opponents relentlessly. [Hannah McKay/Reuters]
Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic
Croatian coach Zlatko Dalic expresses frustration with his side on the back foot in the early stages of the match. [Carl Recine/Reuters]
Andrej Kramaric celebrates scoring their first goal before being disallowed
Andrej Kramaric celebrates after scoring Croatia's first goal before it was disallowed. [Hannah Mckay/Reuters]
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Croatia's Andrej Kramaric scores their first goal
Kramaric gets his satisfaction shortly thereafter when he truly scores his side's first goal. [Peter Cziborra/Reuters]
Croatia's Marko Livaja celebrates with his teammates after scoring his side's second goal during the World Cup group F soccer match between Croatia and Canada, at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doh
The score ticks upwards as Croatia's Marko Livaja celebrates with his teammates after scoring the team's second goal and frustrating the energetic Canadian team. [Thanassis Stavrakis/AP Photo]
Croatia's Dejan Lovren in action with Canada's Kamal Miller
Dejan Lovren takes on Canada's Kamal Miller as the intensity of play heats up and the momentum of the game shifts. [Hamad Mohammed/Reuters]
Coach
Canada kicks off the second half after their coach John Herdman makes substitutions in an attempt to deal with the Croatian onslaught. [Marko Djurica/Reuters]
Andrej Kramaric celebrates scoring their third goal
Kramaric celebrates his second goal of the game, and Croatia's third. [Peter Cziborra/Reuters]
Fourth goal
Lovro Majer scores Croatia's fourth goal, putting the final score at a punishing 4-1. [Aijaz Rahi/Reuters]