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Nora Stankovic / OneSoccer
World Cup Player Ratings: Croatia 4-1 CanMNT
2022-11-27
by
Benedict Rhodes, CanPL.ca Contributor (@BTFR17)
Canada Soccer World Cup 2022

Canada were eliminated from the World Cup on Sunday, falling 4-1 to Croatia in their second of three group stage matches.

Alphonso Davies gave Canada a remarkable early lead with a header just over a minute in, but after Croatia equalized through Andrej Kramarić in the 36th minute, they capitalised on Canada being a bit stunned by conceding. Marko Livaja gave Croatia the lead a few minutes later, sending them into halftime with a 2-1 advantage. Kramarić added a second goal in the 70th minute to double Croatia’s lead before Lovro Majer rubbed salt in the wound by finishing off Canada with an simple finish in stoppage time.

Here are ratings for every Canadian who played in this match.

Milan Borjan: 6/10

Canada’s number one shot-stopper didn’t look particularly confident against Croatia, allowing a trio of goals in his second World Cup match between the sticks. He seemed to hesitate at times with his usually-strong ability to come out of his goal to claim crosses and be commanding in the air, leaving his defenders to deal with several balls into the box.

It wasn’t a game to remember for the Canadian goalkeeper, who was visibly frustrated throughout the match and at the final whistle.

Alistair Johnston: 6.5/10

Croatia’s first goal was an example of CF Montreal (Celtic soon, it is reported) right back Alistair Johnston being dragged out of position to follow his assignment defensively, opening up a gap for the ball to be played through behind the Canadian backline. His position on the pitch was exploited on a few occasions as Croatia looked to bait him into coming a bit further forward. In hindsight, to fix that, a back-three — something Canada and Johnston have used a lot in recent years — would have likely been a better option.

Due to his defensive commitments and Croatia’s ability to counter-attack and thrive in transition, Johnston didn’t get forward as much with the ball as an attacking right back needs to, leaving a lot of the attacking work for Tajon Buchanan instead, who in turn didn’t provide enough defensively.

Johnston did his job reasonably well, but due to the way the team was set up, he was often left scrambling.

Kamal Miller: 4/10

Usually a steady rock at the back for both CF Montreal and the national team, Kamal Miller had a shaky performance in Sunday’s match.

Miller had a role to play in all four of Croatia’s goals. On the first one, both Miller and Steven Vitoria were marking the same attacker, so when Kramaric slipped in behind Atiba Hutchinson, Miller wasn’t in the right place to defend him. On the second one it was a good example of not always needing to fly into challenges feet-first when defending, as instead of staying on his feet, the centre-back’s tackle actually put the ball into a more central position for Croatia, with one of Canada’s best defenders now laying on the turf.

On the third goal he was again too close to Vitoria and was unable to deal with a cross, but the most glaring error, however, came in stoppage time as Croatia put the game even further out of reach after Miller whiffed on an attempt to trap the ball near the halfway line.

Steven Vitória: 5/10

The partnership of Vitória and Miller is usually a strong one for Canada, but against top international sides with better and more experienced players than they may be used to facing with club and country, some of their weaknesses have proven to be a bit more prevalent. While for Miller the downside  in this game was more to do with his positioning, Vitória’s mobility has been his biggest weakness thus far at Qatar 2022.

That was evident on Croatia’s disallowed goal in the first half as the centre-back was the casualty of a quick back-and-forth passing play that left him scrambling to get back in time.

As was the case against Belgium as well, Canada’s set piece deliveries were lacking quality as well, limiting Vitória’s ability to be an aerial threat and create goals that way.

Richie Laryea: 6.5/10

Like Johnston on the right side, Richie Laryea had problems at left back with getting the help he needed to defend. With Alphonso Davies playing a free role, he was often very high up the pitch, or often even cutting into the central and right channels in an attempt to get the ball at his feet. While that was somewhat effective from an attacking point of view, defensively it piled a lot more pressure on Laryea.

The Toronto FC loanee is at his best when he’s more of a wingback, and given the runway to charge into the penalty area and attempt to set up goals or win penalties, but he had a short leash and was often left sitting deeper to focus solely on defending. In an attempt to get more going offensively Laryea was replaced by Junior Hoilett around the hour mark, ending a frustrating night for him.

Defensively Laryea was mostly solid, but like Johnston was not really being used in a way that allows him to thrive most.

Tajon Buchanan: 7/10

One day a trivia question will be ‘Who assisted the Canadian men’s national team’s first goal at a World Cup?’ and the answer is Tajon Buchanan. A minute into Sunday’s match, Buchanan played a beautiful cross into the penalty area for Alphonso Davies to run onto. Davies did just that, heading it past Dominik Livaković for an early goal as Canada came out of the gates absolutely flying.

That was the first of several decent deliveries from Buchanan, although it would be the only one that counted for anything in the end. The Brugge winger also impressed at times with his trickery on the ball and ability to get in behind the Croatian backline, even if he didn’t do it enough for Canada to continue to create chances and find another goal.

Defensively, Buchanan left a lot to be desired, however. He didn’t track back enough to help out Alistair Johnston, which at times left him and the rest of Canada’s backline exposed down the right flank.

Atiba Hutchinson: 4/10

Making his 100th appearance for the national team, the first Canadian man to ever hit that milestone, Atiba Hutchinson had a game to forget. A few days after looking solid against the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Axel Witsel and Youri Tielemans, Hutchinson looked fatigued, and lacked the mobility needed to play against an equally good midfield (if not better) featuring Luka Modrić, Mateo Kovačić and Marcelo Brozović. That trio like to win the ball and charge forward in transition, and he seemingly found it difficult to keep up.

When Ismaël Koné and Jonathan Osorio were on the sideline at the start of the second half, it seemed likely that one of them would replace the 39-year-old, but Herdman remained loyal to his captain for another 20 minutes (Sam Adekugbe replaced him in the 73rd minute) — a decision that he got wrong.

Per Joshua Kloke of The Athletic, Herdman thought about taking Hutchinson out in the 55th minute but he wanted to stay in — and that’s quite simply a decision the manager needs to make for him.

Stephen Eustáquio: 6.5/10

For most of the first half, Stephen Eustáquio was glued to Luka Modric, following the Real Madrid midfielder around the pitch and trying to deny him any space — and it was quite effective for the most part. Eustaquio appeared to run out of gas toward the end of the first half and would be replaced by Ismaël Koné at the break, but in his 45 minutes of work he was one of the bright spots as usual.

Canada were beaten in transition time and time again by the Croatians, however, and both when he was and wasn’t on the pitch, the midfield was beaten by the aforementioned elite trio of Modrić, Kovačić and Brozović. They missed Eustaquio’s mobility and calmness in the second half, and it was evident.

Alphonso Davies: 7.5/10

After a bit of a frustrating performance in Canada’s opener against Belgium, Alphonso Davies somewhat redeemed himself on Sunday.

Just over a minute into the match, Davies scored Canada’s historic first World Cup goal with a perfect header on a cross into the box from Tajon Buchanan to give Les Rouges an early lead. It was a well-taken goal from Canada’s star man, and a moment that will be remembered by Canadians for a very long time.

Davies was given authority by Herdman to play in a free role again, and for the second match in a row it led to him trying to do a bit too much on his own. He wasn’t quick enough to pass the ball on several occasions, and his set piece deliveries weren’t effective, as was the case against Belgium.

Jonathan David: 5.5/10

Jonathan David started the match in a two-striker system up top with Cyle Larin, but playing both of them proved to just limit each other’s opportunities. David didn’t see much of the ball in the first half, and as a result was given more of the spotlight after the break, with Larin taken off for an extra body in midfield.

Still, David struggled to get involved in the second half, with his best chance — and one of Canada’s two shots on target — coming from outside the penalty area in the 56th minute, but Dominik Livaković was able to push it over the bar. The Lille striker was largely invisible in this contest, marked well by the Croatian defenders.

David would play about 15 more minutes after that shot, before being replaced by Lucas Cavallini as Canada desperately tried to get anything going offensively.

Cyle Larin: 5/10

The lone change made to Canada’s starting lineup by John Herdman saw Cyle Larin replace Junior Hoilett. Larin looked good off the bench against Belgium, but failed to make a significant impact in the opening half of this match, and would be replaced at the break by Jonathan Osorio. The two-striker system from Herdman in this match with him and David resulted in neither really getting a hold of the game, and Herdman made the wise choice to take one player out, with Larin the casualty.

Substitutes

Jonathan Osorio: 6.5/10

After coming off the bench at halftime, Jonathan Osorio was one of Canada’s more involved players in midfield. Canada needed an extra body in midfield after a difficult end to the half, and Osorio was one of those adjustments made to transition the team from a 4-4-2 to a 3-5-2 after the break. Canada’s midfield continued to have it tough against the Croatian trio, but there was more organisation defensively from Oso and Ismaël Koné.

Just moments after entering the field, Osorio nearly found the back of the net with a curving shot from distance that just missed the top corner at the far left post.

Ismaël Koné: 6.5/10

Just as he did against Belgium, Ismaël Koné was brought off the Canadian bench in the second half and was involved straight away. Playing with a remarkable confidence and composure for someone still so young and relatively inexperienced, Koné joined Osorio in midfield after the break and did a decent job in midfield. It was nothing flashy from the young CF Montreal star, but he was a solid enough link between the attack and defence, and was fearless against some of the best midfielders in the world.

With Canada now eliminated, and Koné playing well, it wouldn’t be a shock to see him get on the pitch again — possibly from the start. Him, Osorio and Eustaquio in a midfield three might just be the preferred unit for immediate future of the national team.

Junior Hoilett: 5/10

Replacing Richie Laryea in the second half to try and spark the attack into life, Junior Hoilett had another unremarkable performance for Canada. He was able to get a couple of shots off after coming on, but one opportunity found a crowd of defenders, with another one going wide of the target.

It will be interesting to see how, or if, Herdman uses him against Morocco — whether it will be as a wingback, or higher up the pitch — both roles he has played for club and country.

Lucas Cavallini: 5/10

Cavallini was brought off the bench to replace the quiet Jonathan David after Croatia took a two-goal lead, and like the player he was replacing, wasn’t able to make much of a difference in attack. Cavallini’s finishing ability is strong when he has the ball in the box, or having it crossed into him, but neither of those things happened very often and he wasn’t able to provide the spark off the bench that Herdman was looking for. A quiet outing for the former Vancouver Whitecaps striker.

Sam Adekugbe: 5.5/10

It was surprising that Sam Adekugbe didn’t start as the left wingback in Canada’s 3-4-3 formation against Belgium, and perhaps even more surprising that he wasn’t added to the lineup for Sunday’s move to a 4-4-2 versus Croatia. Richie Laryea is usually a right back, but capable of playing on the left, and he’s who Herdman opted for over the defender who played left back for a significant portion of World Cup Qualifying.

Adekugbe came off the bench in the 73rd minute, a few minutes after Croatia’s third goal was scored — replacing Atiba Hutchinson. He moved to the left side, allowing Junior Hoilett to vacate that left wingback spot he was brought off the bench into about ten minutes earlier.

There just simply wasn’t enough time or opportunities for Adekugbe to really make a significant impact on the outcome of this match, especially down 3-1 with a daunting uphill battle facing a deflated Canada side around him — but he didn’t put a foot wrong, either.

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