Canada shocked by Czech Republic in World Juniors opener

Adamo Marinelli

Dec. 26, 2022

In a game where Canada was the heavy favourite to win and outshot their opponent 39-27, numerous mistakes, missed chances, undisciplined play, and poor defending paved the way for the Czech Republic to cruise past Canada in a huge 5-2 upset win.

All of a sudden, Canada - the defending gold medalists and one of the bigger favourites to win the tournament - have a much larger hill to climb if they want to repeat as World Junior Champions.

There was chatter among hockey pundits that Canada’s 2023 squad was arguably their best in several years and one of the best the tournament has seen in its history. After a tough loss, there is even more pressure for this Canadian squad to bounce back next game.

Canada took the lead halfway through the first period when captain Shane Wright tipped home a point shot from Owen Zellweger on the man advantage. 

Canada outshot the Czech Republic 12-9 in the first period and controlled the majority of the period, spending a lot of time in the offensive end and generating quality scoring chances.  

A few minutes later, Canada appeared to double their advantage, but the goal was ruled out for offside. The game remained 1-0.

Then, the momentum shifted in the Czech Republic’s favour.

Czechia scored two goals, less than 35 seconds apart in the final two few minutes of the first period to take a 2-1 lead. 

Less than one minute into the second period, Stanislav Svizol scored to give Czechia a commanding 3-1 lead. 

Canada has overcome adversity in previous tournaments and overcame a 1-0 and 2-1 deficit against Finland in their final preliminary game.

After falling down 3-1, Canada responded quickly. After forcing a turnover in the neutral zone, Shane Wright sprung a pass to Connor Bedard who wired a shot into the far-side top corner on the odd-man rush to cut Czechia’s lead in half. 

However, the game’s turning point came almost five minutes into the second period when Canada’s Zach Dean received a five-minute penalty and a game suspension for an illegal hit to the head.

Was the hit clean? No, it wasn’t. Should it have received a five-minute penalty and game misconduct? No, it shouldn’t have; a two-minute penalty at most. In the NHL, that would seldom get called. 

Czechia capitalized twice on their long powerplay, getting goals from Jaroslav Chmelar and Matous Mensik which saw their lead increase to 5-2. 

Canada goalie Benjamin Gaudreau struggled on his World Juniors debut, getting pulled midway through the second period after allowing five goals on 17 shots. Gaudreau didn’t play well by any means but it wasn’t all on him.

Canada’s defence made plenty of mistakes, had a few crucial turnovers, could not clear the zone at times and allowed Czechia’s offence to get comfortable and create several quality scoring chances in high-percentage areas like the slot and in the faceoff circle with their excellent puck movement.

On the other end, the Czech Republic were phenomenal defensively all game long and their goaltender Tomas Suchanek stood on his head making 37 saves, many of them in key moments early in the game to avoid falling 2-0 down or to sustain their lead in the third period. 

Canada was dominant in the third period, and spent nearly the entire frame in Czechia’s end, using their creative playmaking and puck movement to generate several scoring chances. 

But Czechia’s defence held strong: blocking shots, forechecking well, taking away passing lanes and clearing the zone as soon as they got the puck to prevent prolonged attacking opportunities. Suchanek made 15 saves in the third period to secure Czechia’s 5-2 win. 

Special teams were also the difference in this one. Canada converted on one of its three powerplays, and Czechia converted on two of its eight powerplay attempts. Canada had to kill off six penalties and Czechia only had to kill off two. 

Canada was very undisciplined tonight and you can’t expect to win against good teams when you spend so long on the penalty kill. 

With their win tonight, it’s the first time Czechia has beaten Canada in nine years. The last time was a 5-4 shootout win in the second group game at the 2014 World Juniors. 

After beating Canada, Czechia has the upper hand to win Group A but is behind Sweden - who thumped Austria 11-0 earlier today - on goal difference. 

Canada has the day off tomorrow before taking on Germany on Dec. 28. There are some bright spots Canada can build on - like Connor Bedard's 11 shots on goal and Canada's ability to move the puck - however, they need to work on being more clinical by finishing the chances they do create and playing more disciplined hockey by staying out of the box.

Team Canada 2023 World Juniors Preview

Adamo Marinelli

Dec. 24, 2022

Canada is looking to defend their World Junior Gold Medal in 2023 and they have a balanced roster, chock full of talent and depth at every position to do it.

Canada’s roster features eight players that returned from last year’s team, which won their 19th gold medal in country history, three players who have spent time playing in the NHL at the beginning of this season, nine first-round picks and three players who are eligible to be taken in the 2023 draft. Canada is also led by an experienced head coach Dennis Williams, a tactical mastermind, and a natural leader. He has experienced success on the World Juniors stage in previous games winning gold with Canada as an assistant coach in 2022. Canada has arguably the best team on paper, even ahead of the United States who consistently succeed at international tournaments, but that does not mean Canada is guaranteed the gold medal. 

No team has won back-to-back championships since 2009 when Canada won its fifth straight gold medal. Since 2010, Canada and the US have won four gold medals, Finland has won three, and Russia and Sweden have each won once. 

Pre-tournament matches

1. Canada 6 - Switzerland 0

2. Canada 6 - Slovakia 1

3. Canada 5 - Finland 3

Canada is coming into this tournament with a lot of momentum, having won all three of their pre-tournament games, two in dominant fashion, outsourcing Switzerland and Slovakia 12-1 in their first two games. Canada was able to move the puck effortlessly, create numerous shots on goal, score at ease, and played excellent defense. They controlled play in the neutral zone and often broke up any opposing attacking opportunity before it could start. 

Finland is much better than Canada’s previous two opponents, but Canada controlled the majority of the game against Finland. Canada’s powerplay, which has always been a strong point of their game, struck three times against Finland, courtesy of all-star phenom forward Connor Bedard who scored two of Canada’s goals on the man advantage. Canada controlled the flow of the game and was able to generate scoring chances at will, outshooting Finland 45-22. Canada’s defense was once again very good, limiting the quantity and quality of Finland’s scoring chances. Canada’s goaltending was phenomenal again, including making some key saves early when Canada was trailing 1-0 and 2-1. 

Canada’s roster has a nice mix of returning superstars with veteran experience and many speedy, skilled, and energetic youngsters. Their roster has a nice mix of size, physicality, speed, and dynamic skill and is full of several offensive superstars like Connor Bedard, Shane Wright, Adam Fantili, and Dylan Guenther among others. They should be able to generate a lot of scoring chances with their speed and creative playmaking and they should be able to score a lot of goals, both at even strength and on their lethal powerplay. On the other side of the puck, a defense that is difficult to penetrate combined with a strong, physical forecheck will make it difficult for opposing offenses to get anything against them. Their strong goalie duo of Thomas Milic and Benjamin Gaudreau is not the best duo in the tournament - like in previous years - however, they are able to make huge saves when they need to keep Canada in games and to help sustain leads.

Canada opens the tournament on December 26th against Czechia and they will likely line up like this:

Forwards:

Brennan Othmann (NYR) - Shane Wright (SEA) - Connor Bedard (2023)

Adam Fantilli (2023) - Logan Stankoven (DAL) - Dylan Guenther (ARI)

Zach Dean (VGK) - Nathan Gaucher (ANA) - Joshua Roy (MTL)

Reid Schaefer (EDM) - Caedan Bankier (MIN) - Zack Ostapchuk (OTT)

Colton Dach (CHI)

Defenders:

Ethan Del Mastro (CHI) - Olen Zellweger (ANA)

Nolan Allan (CHI) - Brandt Clarke (LAK)

Kevin Korchinski (CHI) - Jack Matier (NSH)

Tyson Hinds (ANA)

Goaltenders:

Thomas Milic (undrafted)

Ben Gaudreau (SJS)

They will then play against Germany on December 28, Austria on December 29, and Sweden on New Year’s Eve.

Canada is set to do well on paper and has the talent to bring home gold with the mix of size, physicality, and skill on their roster. Their roster was built with size in mind, they are the biggest team entering the tournament on paper, with an average height and weight of 6’1”, 189 lbs and that size and physicality will be especially helpful on the defensive side of the puck, but their bigger players can still skate, move the puck, pass and shoot well, which will help their success offensively.

However, nothing is guaranteed. Anything can happen on any given day so how Canada will deal with adversity if they trail early in a game will be another thing to keep an eye on, however, they dealt with it well against Finland, winning 5-3 after trailing 1-0 and 2-1.

Good luck, Canada.

Messi completes football, Argentina defeat France for third World Cup title

Adamo Marinelli

Dec. 19, 2022

In what was arguably the best World Cup Final in the tournament’s history, Lionel Messi solidified his GOAT status with his Golden Ball-winning performance, scoring seven goals and three assists and creating several scoring chances in seven appearances and now has completed football at the international and club level, by winning his first World Cup, the only trophy that has eluded him for his entire career. 

Argentina got out to a quick 2-0 lead in the first half after Messi scored a perfectly placed penalty drawn by Angel Di Maria, who was tackled by Ousmane Dembele to give Argentina a 1-0 lead in the 23rd minute. Argentina’s lead doubled 13 minutes later with an excellent goal by Di Maria which was set up by Messi who slotted a brilliant pass on the counterattack to Alexis McAllister who ran with the ball into the box before unselfishly slotting a pass to DiMaria who made no mistake. 

Argentina not only controlled the first half, but they controlled the first 75 minutes of the match. They dominated possession, were stellar in the midfield, and were excellent defensively. As soon as France gained possession, Argentina’s fantastic high defensive press took the ball right back from France. France was unable to advance the ball up the pitch to create scoring chances. France was held without a single shot for the entire first half and had an xG of 0.00 at halftime. France’s first shot attempt didn’t come until midway through the second half and their first shot on target came from a questionable penalty awarded to France in the 79th minute which gave France life.

Superstar Kylian Mbappe converted the penalty in the 80th minute to cut his team’s deficit in half. Less than two minutes later, Marcus Thurman slotted a brilliant pass to Kylian Mbappe who struck the ball with a beautiful off-balance volley that found the corner of the net, barely beating Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez’s hand. The game was tied in the 81st minute.

Argentina held France without a shot on target and completely dominated the match for the first 79 minutes, but fell apart allowing two goals in under two minutes. 

Argentina subbed off Di Maria in the 65th minute to bring on another defender to close the game out, which was a good idea in theory, but against a lethal French offense, your best players need to play the entire match. Di Maria is a great playmaker and consistently contributes offensively but his holding play and defensive capabilities are strong too. If he wasn’t subbed out, the game may have not gone to extra time. However, Olivier Giroud and Ousmane Dembele were subbed off in the 41st minute, trailing 2-0, if they stayed on, it might have been a different game earlier. 

Both teams were exhausted in extra time but still exchanged several quality goal-scoring opportunities in the first half of extra time. Early in the second half of added time, Argentina took the lead on a shocking play that sent the Argentine crowd into a frenzy. 

Argentina broke through France’s backline once again, a really common sight in the World Cup Final and France’s defenders were all over the place. Lautaro Martinez fired a shot on goal and Lloris saved it, however, the rebound found its way to Messi’s boot who tapped it in. France defender Dayot Upecamano appeared to have cleared it, but not before it fully crossed the line giving Messi his second goal of the match, seventh of the tournament, and the lead in the Golden Boot race.

It was the first World Cup Final to see a player from both teams score a brace. But the match wasn’t done yet. Right-back Gonzalo Montiel turned his body to block a France shot attempt in the 116th minute, however, the ball hit his arm in the box while it was away from his body which gave France their second penalty of the game. 

Mbappe struck it well, with calmness and precision to tie the game 3-3 in the 118th minute and became only the second player in a World Cup Final to record a hattrick. 

With Mbappe’s third goal, he regained the lead in the Golden Boot race with eight goals and the 2022 World Cup became the highest-scoring tournament in World Cup history with 172 goals scored, beating the previous record of 171 goals in 1998 and 2014.

At the end of stoppage time in the second half of extra time, Kolo Muani found himself alone in Argentina’s box with a chance to win the World Cup but was robbed by a phenomenal save by Emiliano Martinez which led to a scoring chance for Lauturo Martinez who put a shot wide after receiving a nice cross from Montiel on the counter. France would've won back-to-back World Cups had it not been for that save, it was by far the best and most crucial save of the tournament.

An incredibly entertaining game was tied 3-3 heading into penalties and in the span of just over half an hour, went from a comfortable 2-0 Argentina lead to a wild 3-3 game.

Argentina had previously beaten the Netherlands on penalties and Martinez made two huge saves; France never played in a penalty shootout in Qatar.

In the penalty shootout, Mbappe slotted France’s first penalty right past the outstretched arms of Martinez and Messi scored Argentina’s first penalty. Kingsley Coman’s shot was saved by Martinez and Paulo Dybala scored to give Argentina the advantage. Aurelien Tchouanemi missed the net to the left and Leandro Paredes scored to give Argentina a 3-1 lead. Despite a goal from Kolo Mulani, Gonzalo Montiel slotted the World Cup-winning penalty past Hugo Lloris before celebrating with his team. 

It was a big moment of redemption for Montiel after giving France their second penalty. Now he can be known as the hero for Argentina who secured their World Cup win instead of the man that cost them.

Messi finally won his World Cup in addition to the Golden Ball, Mbappe won the Golden Boot, Emiliano Martinez deservedly won goalkeeper of the tournament and 21-year-old Enzo Fernandes won the young player of the tournament after a stunning display. France falls short of back-to-back titles, and Argentina gets to within two titles of their South American counterparts.

As one of the best World Cup Finals comes to an end, here are my World Cup tournament awards:

Player of the tournament: Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe - HM: Sofyan Amrabat, Julian Alvarez

Flop: Romelu Lukaku - HM: Darwin Nunez

Manager: Lionel Scaloni (won a Copa America and World Cup in <48 months, great tactics)

Overachievers: Morocco - HM: Croatia, Australia

Underachievers: Belgium, Germany HM: Uruguay

Defensive player of the tournament: Josko Gvardiol

Best goalkeeper: Emiliano Martinez - HM: Dominik Livakovic, Yassine Bounou

Underrated player of the tournament: Matteo Kovacic - HM: Amrabat, Takehiro Tomiyasu

Best game: The Final - France vs Argentina

Best goal: Messi vs Mexico

Most iconic moment: Messi lifting the World Cup trophy - HM: Ronaldo scoring at 5 World Cups

FIFA World Cup Final Preview - France vs Argentina

Adamo Marinelli

December 16, 2022

The 2022 Qatar World Cup Final is set. After losing their first game at the tournament, 2-1 to Saudia Arabia, which snapped their unbeaten run of 36 matches - one match short of tying Italy’s record of 37 - Argentina has reached another level and hasn’t lost a match since. Lionel Messi has been spectacular all tournament long and now has the chance to win his first World Cup title with a very strong and unified Argentinian squad. 

On the other side, an extremely talented French squad with a lot of depth at every position, led by all-star Kylian Mbappe, has done the impossible by avoiding the defending champion group stage curse - where defending champions since 2006 have failed to reach the round of 16 in the next World Cup - and now have the chance to become only the third nation in World Cup history to win back to back World Cups, the first team in 60 years to achieve the feat (after Italy did it in 1934 and 1938 and Brazil did it in 1958 and 1962). This is more impressive considering they’re missing some of their important players like Karim Benzema, Paul Pogba, and N’Golo Kante among others.

Argentina handily defeated Croatia 3-0 in their semifinal match thanks to excellent defending and spectacular playmaking. Messi had another fantastic game finishing with a goal and a beautiful assist where he ran up the pitch and put a Croatian defender on skates with his incredible ball control before slotting a pass to Julian Alvarez, who tapped in his second goal of the game, which solidified the semifinal as his best game of the tournament, in which he scored a brace. His first goal resulted in a fantastic individual effort where he ran the length of the pitch before scoring. 

Even though Morocco dominated possession 62-38 percent and had only one less shot attempt than France while each team recorded three shots on target, an early goal by France’s Theo Hernandez propelled France to a victory. France defended immaculately after taking the early lead and Morocco’s consistent barrage of chances was turned aside. France doubled their lead late in the match and defeated Morocco 2-0. Prior to their match against France, Morocco’s strong defense only conceded one goal against Canada in the final group stage match.

Argentina is very well managed and coach Lionel Scaloni, since taking over in 2018, has done a fantastic job with his tactics, team building, and player selection. Youngster goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has been spectacular, posting three clean sheets at the World Cup so far but will have to play his best game and make several key saves against France’s strong attack, who can consistently generate many quality scoring chances.

Although Argentina has been led by their superstar Messi, they have had some strong performances in the midfield and in defense which have helped them win games. Enzo Fernandez and Alexis McAllister have been phenomenal in the midfield and have helped solidify their defensive backline while also helping to move the ball up the field in transition to create scoring chances. They each have the capacity to contribute goals and assists which is big too. The World Cup Final will be decided by a handful of things, including which midfield core plays better. Fernandez and McAllister will have to be on guard against all-star Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann who has single handily helped France control games with his incredible ball control, ball movement, ability to score goals, playmaking, and defensive prowess too. 

Argentina’s defense led by Cristian Romero, Nahuel Molina, Lisandro Martinez, and Nicolas Otamendi has been solid all tournament long against several quality opposition attacking units like Croatia, the Netherlands, and Mexico, but they have yet to face their strongest opponent yet in France. Olivier Giroud and Kylian Mbappe are very skilled players who can score at will, are very good on and off the ball, consistently create scoring chances for themselves or for teammates, and are always super dangerous in the box. However, their offensive talent does not end with Giroud and Mbappe. If opponents shut down that dynamic duo, France has multiple other weapons that can hurt you - like Griezmann, Ousmane Dembele, and Aurelien Tchounemi, among others - if they are left in open space that’s how good they are offensively. Not only will Argentina’s centrebacks need to play a flawless game, but their midfield will also need to press France’s forwards to limit the space they have to attack. Fullbacks Molina and either Marcos Acuna or Nicolas Tagliafico will have to move in slightly to help defend France’s lethal attack while also helping commence Argentina’s attacks by pushing forward and moving the ball up the field.

France is very good, but their defense is not perfect. The left side of their defense, which Bukayo Saka consistently attacked with success in the quarterfinals to create several chances is the same side of the defense on which Morocco created the majority of their scoring chances on, despite the fact that they didn’t score. Argentina has a quality front three with Messi, Alvarez and Lauturo Martinez with Paulo Dybala and Angel Correa off the bench and France will need to ensure this side of their defense tightens up to avoid allowing a dangerous Argentine attack from heating up on the right side which would lead to multiple crosses into the box and shots on target. Dayot Upamecano was unable to start the semifinal, so Ibrahima Konate stepped up and made several tackles and clearances to keep France out of trouble - he’ll need to have another good game against a strong Argentina attack, including their front three and their midfield which frequently gets involved. Argentina’s forwards are great on the ball and have excellent ball control, they can move around rapidly with the ball on their feet which creates open space and shot attempts for themselves or their teammates. France will have to press to avoid giving Argentine forwards space to operate and get comfortable offensively. However, centrebacks Konate and Raphael Varane are among five French players who missed Friday’s training after being hit by a virus according to French media, which can cause some tactical problems and mismatches in favour of Argentina.

Manager Didier Deschamps is a tactical expert - he knows how to exploit a team’s weaknesses and take what they do well away from them. He is not afraid to play man-to-man defense and press high up the pitch to limit opponents’ scoring chances and to take away space they need to advance up the pitch to get in positions to score. He knows France’s midfield, Griezmann in particular, has the ability to control possession, take opposing players out of the game with strong defense and provide accurate long passes to unleash Mbappe or Giroud. The Argentine defense is good but is not perfect, so in order to win they will need to attack relentlessly. France has the talent to score at any time and also has the skill to be patient and outwit a defense before striking when least expected.

On paper, France is the better team; how France has still managed to be dominant even without some of their biggest stars is phenomenal and deserves a ton of credit. However, Messi has had a phenomenal tournament in what is likely his last on the international stage, and the grit

and resiliency Argentina has shown after losing their first game and how well the team is playing for each other and in support of Messi has blown away all expectations and negates any on-paper advantage. 

This game will come down to which team controls possession on the midfield and defense. If the Argentine defense (with help from their strong midfield) can contain a lethal French attack long enough until their offense gets going on the counterattack, they will be in a prime position to win. However, if any of Mbappe, Giroud, and Griezmann get going and if France can hold the ball in Argentina’s end and get numerous quality scoring chances to tire out Argentina’s backline- which they’ve done the entire tournament - it will be an extremely long night for the Argentine defense. 

If France scores early, they are very solid defensively and can protect the lead well, which would make it super difficult for Argentina to come back. If Argentina scores early, they need to play even better defensively because France will send the kitchen sink at them to attempt to find an equalizer. Because of this, they can’t merely sit back and defend as eventually France with their skill will find a way to score, instead, Argentina will have to score another to put the game out of reach - likely in transition - while France’s midfield and backline are up the field to help score the equalizer.

This game will be a thriller and another interesting storyline is that many club teammates will be battling it out for bragging rights on the international stage, such as Messi and Mbappe, (PSG); Hugo Lloris and Cristian Romero, (Tottenham Hotspur); Antoine Griezmann and Nahuel Molina, (Atletico Madrid); among others. Even though Messi and Mbappe will be the highlight, this game will feature many quality players at all positions on both sides of the ball. 

This game can go either way. Both teams are talented and can win. But here’s how I see it playing out. 90 minutes will not be enough to decide the match. It will be 1-1 after 90 minutes, both teams will score in the extra time and the match will be 2-2 heading into penalties, where Argentina will win 7-6 to secure Messi’s first World Cup.

FIFA World Cup Semifinal Predictions

 Adamo Marinelli

That was one of the best quarterfinals of a World Cup we’ve seen in recent memory with many exhilarating matches including Croatia stunning Brazil, Argentina beating the Netherlands, Morocco stunning Portugal, and France topping England in an instant classic. Here is how I see the semifinals going down.

Argentina 1 - 1 Croatia (3-4 penalties)

Croatia showed just how well they could defend against a lethal Brazil attack. It was consistently able to get back in transition, get players behind the ball, and press well against a dangerous Brazil counter-attack that has hurt many of their previous opponents. Offensively, they were able to create scoring chances with their patience and the skill of their midfield trio that can control the ball, make accurate passes to teammates in the final third or advance the ball up the field with their speed and quality dribbling before crossing it into a scoring position. Croatia defended very well all match and scored on the counter-attack late in the second half of extra time to tie the match after Brazil took a 1-0 lead late in the first half of extra time to force penalties. Croatia dispatched their penalties with ease and calmness, often finding the corner of the net, in a place where Brazil goalkeeper Alisson Becker couldn’t reach, and their incredibly talented goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic took over once again making multiple saves. 

Argentina showed their offensive brilliance against the Netherlands by quickly getting out to a 1-0 lead thanks to a stellar pass by Leo Messi which led to the goal. Messi now has more assists in a World Cup than any other player. Argentina controlled the majority of the match, creating several quality chances and playing well defensively. Their formation change to a 5-3-2 ahead of the match threw the Dutch off and made it harder for them to break through their back line, and create in the final third. After Messi scored a penalty in the 74th minute to put Argentina up 2-0, the Dutch scored two goals in the span of 25 minutes including one of the best free kicks I’ve ever seen to send the game to extra time, thanks in part to subbing on taller players like Wout Weghorst (who scored both Dutch goals) and Luc Dejong which made every cross into the box more dangerous.

This match will be more or less the same. Croatia will start the match defending well and will score early in transition. They will defend well for the rest of the match but a late free-kick goal from Argentina will tie the game and force extra time. Nothing will be decided, but in penalties, Luka Modric will put the winner into the bottom corner and Livakovic will make two huge saves to put Croatia in the final for the second tournament in a row.

France 1 - 2 Morocco (AET)

France is loaded with talent and defeated England in a 2-1 thriller which saw two penalties awarded, a ton of missed calls, and a few nice goals. Aurelien Tchouameni scored a screamer from outside the box to give France a 1-0 lead within 20. England rebounded and controlled the match until halftime and early in the second half. A tackle from Tchouameni on Saka awarded a penalty and Harry Kane equalized with a nice strike, tying Wayne Rooney for the most-ever England goals with 53. Olivier Giroud headed home the winner on a nice cross into the box by Antoine Griezmann and minutes later, after England was awarded another penalty, Kane stepped up to the spot again, but this time skied it over. France held on to win the match. Superstar Kylian Mbappe was a non-factor, Kyle Walker defended him well, but it just goes to show how much depth France has.

Morocco defended brilliantly all match against Portugal and Youssef En-Nesyri scored the only goal of the match to give Morocco the 1-0 win. Morocco is the first ever African team to advance to the semifinals of a World Cup, which is a tremendous accomplishment. Morocco has defended well all tournament long and has done a fantastic job limiting the effectiveness of all their opponents’ counterattacks and reducing the number of high-quality scoring chances their opponents get. The only goal they conceded at this entire World Cup was an own goal against Canada in their final group stage match, where they won 2-1 after two early goals. Defending against France will be a challenge, given the amount of talent and creativity France has offensively, but if right-back Achraf Hakimi (who plays alongside Mbappe at PSG) defends Mbappe like Walker did today and the rest of his team, including their fantastic goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, play a strong defensive game - which they’ve proven on multiple occasions they can do - they can pull off the upset.

In this match, France will start with an all-out attack and will score relatively early. Despite conceding, the Moroccan defense will not give up and will continue playing extremely well. They will limit any future chances France gets in transition and reduce the quality of France’s setup play in the final third. Their backline will consistently get involved in the attack and late in the second half, Morocco will equalize in transition as soon as France’s backline momentarily let their guard down while the ball is in Morocco’s half. In extra time, France will create a plethora of chances and will have many set-piece opportunities but Bonou will make several key saves to keep the game 1-1. Midway through the second half of extra time, Morocco’s attack will create a freekick in a dangerous area which will beat French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris to give Morocco a 2-1 lead which they hold onto.

The World Cup Finals will feature Morocco and Croatia, in a match where both sides can make history. Croatia can win their first World Cup in their third appearance since 1998 and Morocco can win not only their first World Cup but the first World Cup for any African nation.

Stay tuned for a World Cup Finals preview after the semifinals conclude.

FIFA World Cup Quarterfinals Predictions

Adamo Marinelli

Argentina 2 - 1 Netherlands

The Netherlands cruised through Group A, finishing with wins over Senegal and Qatar and drawing with Ecuador, claiming seven of a possible nine points. In the round of 16, they controlled the majority of the match against the United States en route to a 3-1 win. The Netherlands scored early, doubled their lead right before the half, and despite a few nervy moments after the US scored, the Netherlands scored again to seal the victory. They are a strong team, with a talented attack and midfield, but Argentina’s midfield can also control the possession and their front three can capitalize on the chances they create. Argentina lost their opening World Cup match to Saudi Arabia, one of the biggest upsets in tournament history, but then proceed to beat Mexico and Poland 2-0. In the round of 16, they got off to a quick 2-0 lead against Australia thanks to their prolific ball movement, and creativity in the final third to create shots before holding on after Australia scored a late goal. It will be a close game and will be tied 1-1 late into the second half, but Argentina will capitalize in transition after an error by the Australian midfield and a late goal from Leo Messi will break the tie. 

Brazil 3 - 1 Croatia

Croatia finished second in their group, behind Morocco, after handily beating Canada despite conceding in the first 90 seconds and drawing with Belgium and Morocco. Croatia’s defense was solid, but the real reason they’ve excelled in the World Cup is the elite level of talent and creativity in their midfield and how efficient they are in turning defensive stops into attacks in transition. Croatia is beatable, however, and Japan’s high press and ability to create chances and pressure Croatia’s defense brought the game to extra time before Croatia won 3-1 on penalties, where their goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic saved three Japanese penalties, tying a World Cup record. Brazil, the number one ranked team in the world, has been a favourite to win the tournament from the very beginning and won their first two matches to clinch a spot in the round of 16 before they fell to Cameroon 1-0 in matchday three. Brazil dominated a strong South Korean side 4-1 in the round of 16 thanks to four first-half goals. Croatia is talented offensively and can control possession and generate several scoring chances, but Brazil is better overall. They are able to control possession, tire opposing defenses out with their ball movement and speed, and create quality scoring chances. They will attack Croatia in transition, and Croatia will not be able to get back defensively which will allow Brazil to score a few goals.

England 2 - 2 France (5-4 on penalties)

The defending World Cup champions still have a lot of talent despite missing several quality players like Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante among others. France started their tournament strong with a dominant 4-1 win over Australia and a 2-1 win over Denmark in a match they controlled from start to finish. They booked their spot in the round of 16, ending the defending winner’s group stage curse before losing their final game 1-0 to Tunisia with a fairly rotated squad. In the round of 16, they beat Poland 3-1. The game was pretty even with both teams getting chances for the first 30 minutes but from then on, France controlled the rest of the way. France is talented all over the pitch, on defense in the midfield and upfront, especially with Kylian Mbappe who has already scored five goals so far and will be hard to beat. England is a team that may be able to do that. They have a lot of depth and talent everywhere on the pitch and have done well at recent international tournaments (losing to Croatia in the semifinals of the 2018 World Cup and losing to Italy in the finals of EURO 2020). They topped their group, with dominant wins against Iran and Wales. They controlled both games and frequently found the back of the net, with their excellent ball movement abilities to create open spaces and shots on target, their strong transition attack, and their ability to be clinical in the box and finish chances they create. They scored nine goals, six against Iran and three against Iran, but tied the US 0-0 in an evenly matched game. In the round of 16, they controlled the game from start to finish in a 3-0 win over a good Senegal side and showed their ability to be clinical in the final third, create many scoring chances, and prevent the other team from capitalizing on their scoring chances. Both teams are proficient scorers and will find the back of the net twice (Kane and Sterling for England; Mbappe and Giroud for France). In extra time, both defenses will play lights out and force penalties, where a Mbappe miss (like in the Euros) will send England to the semis.

Morocco 1 - 2 Portugal (AET)

Morocco has been the surprise of the tournament so far, topping Group F after drawing 0-0 with Croatia in their opening match before beating Belgium 2-0 and Canada 2-1. Their defense was phenomenal in all three games, limiting their opponents’ creativity in the final third, limiting quality scoring chances, defending set pieces well, and turning defense into transition attacks. The only goal they conceded in the group stage was an own goal against Canada. In the round of 16, they played fantastic defense again, holding Spain to only one shot on target (on 13 shot attempts) despite only having 23 percent possession. They forced the match into penalties where they scored three and their goalie Yassine Bounou saved all three of Spain’s penalties. Portugal is a team with a lot of talent in the midfield, upfront and they know how to use that talent, speed, and creativity to create and capitalize on scoring chances. It showed in their 3-2 win against Ghana and 2-0 win against Uruguay. Despite a 2-1 loss to South Korea on matchday three, they had already qualified for a round of 16 matchup against Switzerland, where even without Ronaldo, Portugal cruised to a 6-1 win and Goncalo Ramos scored the first hattrick of this World Cup. Morocco is a good team defensively, but they will be tested against a Portugal team who can score with ease. Morocco will not allow them to score six, but a mistake late into extra time after a solid defensive game will cost Morocco.

Canada’s World Cup is a learning experience, but ends without a single point

Adamo Marinelli

Dec. 2, 2022

After a severe mistake on a clearance from goalkeeper Milan Borjan led to Canada conceding an early goal in the fourth minute scored by Hakim Ziyech they were unable to recover and were outclassed in the midfield by a very solid Moroccan side. 

Morocco won the game 2-1 and would book a trip to the round of 16 for the first time since 1986. Canada’s journey at the World Cup would end without a single win or a single point, but they played hard and made history by scoring their first-ever World Cup goal against Croatia. 

The Canadians conceded again, this time on the counterattack after being dispossessed on the attack and Youssef En-Nesyri received a great pass from PSG defender Achraf Hakimi and slotted home a nice finish to double Morocco’s lead. 

In fact, En-Nesryi appeared to have scored his second of the match a few minutes later, but the goal was ruled out for offside. Bullet dodged by Canada and smart play by their backline to catch En-Nesryi offside.

Canada was deflated but like they’ve shown all tournament long, they didn’t give up. Canada pressed forward and began to use their creativity and ball movement in the final third to create scoring chances. 

In the 40th minute, a strong run up the left flank by Sam Adekube - who used his sound dribbling to get past defenders - resulted in an own goal after Adekube’s cross intended for Alphonso Davies in the six-yard box took a deflection off Morocco defender Nayef Ahuerd. 

Canada had some momentum back and began the second half pressing Morocco defensively, creating turnovers and scoring chances in transition. Canada began controlling the possession in the second half and ended up winning the possession battle 59 - 41 percent. 

However, those chances failed to create a single shot on target the entire match for Canada, as a strong, physical and underrated Moroccan defense consistently cleared away any dangerous crosses put into the box by Canadian wingers Alphonso Davies or Tajon Buchanan. 

Canada came mere inches away from tying the game and potentially securing their first points of the World Cup after a beautifully placed corner by Alistair Johnston was headed toward goal by captain Atiba Hutchinson - who came on as a substitute in the second half - before hitting the crossbar and landing on the goalline before being cleared away by the Moroccan keeper.

Canada’s World Cup appearance in Qatar was a great learning experience for this young team, but it was humbling. They showed they had the potential to compete with some of the best teams in the world, but when push comes to shove, they couldn’t capitalize on their chances 

and secure a result. Manager John Herdman and Canada will learn from this experience and preparations for 2026 are already underway. 

John Herdman thought the final result could be better, but was delighted about the effort and fight his team showed on the world’s biggest stage.

“So I think you've seen that resilience. You’ve seen our quality. This is a Moroccan team that's just won the group, and I thought we showed that spirit, that Canadian grit that we came here to show,” Herdman said in a post-match interview with TSN.

Canada joins Qatar as the only other team to lose all three of their matches and they join El-Salvador as the only other side to lose all six of their matches in World Cup history.

“I’m proud of what these lads have shown here. You know, I think you're always gonna walk away from this, and it's going to sting. But there isn't a game that we're not proud of,” Herdman said. “We got four years to build. But this is our first step into the big unknown and we found a lot of things out that this team has got quality, [and] we can compete. And we were close.”

This team is close to finally getting their first-ever win in World Cup history, and surely with John Herdman back until 2026, with all the talent on the squad, the continued development of the players on the squad currently and in Canada’s youth development system - who will represent Canada in the future - their first win will come on home turf in the 2026 World Cup. If Canada gets more of its players playing club football in a top European league, their chances improve even more. 

Arguably their first win should’ve come against Belgium as Canada controlled the whole match, but it didn’t happen.

It was a tough tournament for Canada, but they proved they belong and this tournament is a great first step towards continued international soccer success.