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CanMNT vs. Morocco: 3 things to watch in Canada’s final World Cup 2022 match

After scoring the country’s first-ever World Cup goal against Croatia, Canada will be looking to end the 2022 tournament on a historic note.

That result, a humbling 4-1 loss, eliminated Canada from contention for the knockout stages. But Les Rouges have one final chance to pick up what would be a monumental first-ever World Cup victory ahead of co-hosting the tournament in 2026.

That match comes against a Morocco side who have surprised many at this year’s tournament and will be incredibly hungry going into this match as they would automatically advance to the knockout stages with a win or a draw.

Here are three things to watch for as Canada wraps up Group F action:


How will Canada respond to humbling loss against Croatia?

On paper, there is only pride on the line for the Canadian men’s national team as they step onto the field for their final group-stage match at the 2022 World Cup. 

That pride was severely hurt as, after scoring the country’s first-ever World Cup goal just 67 seconds into the match, Canada were thoroughly outclassed by Croatia on Sunday in a 4-1 loss that could have been worse. After an outstanding performance in their opener against Belgium, it was a real wake-up call for the whole program, one that was simultaneously a death knell for their chances of reaching the knockout stage.

While the round of 16 is off the table, this match is still significant for Canada. It is one final chance to show the best version of themselves, the one that dominated Belgium in the first half of their tournament opener and for the first 25 minutes against Croatia. It is also a chance for this group to prove that they can bounce back from what happened in the remaining 65 minutes of that match.

Thursday is still a high-profile and important test against a very good Morocco side who will be desperate to get a result. It is also their final World Cup match before they co-host the tournament in 2026, a chance to start building critical momentum and retaining interest over the next four years. A first-ever World Cup win would go a long way toward accomplishing just that.

How do Canada line up for their final match of the tournament?

Nora Stankovic / OneSoccer
Nora Stankovic / OneSoccer

The round of 16 may be out of reach for Canada, but that doesn’t mean John Herdman will have an easy task in picking his lineup for this match. In fact, it may be even more difficult as he and his staff decide what philosophy to adopt against Morocco.

At the end of the day, the primary goal should still be to win this match. Beyond that, however, come questions as to how Herdman should set up his side. Does he prioritize veterans for whom this will almost certainly be their last chance to step onto a World Cup pitch? Or does he set up with an eye toward 2026 and give significant minutes to younger players?

With that in mind, and given injuries and fitness concerns in the midfield, this match seems like a prime opportunity to give standout 20-year-old midfield Ismaël Koné his first World Cup start. Does he start alongside veteran Atiba Hutchinson, who undoubtedly ran out of gas against Croatia and might struggle with the speed of this Moroccan team but could be playing in one of his final matches with the national team?

What about a player like Stephen Eustáquio? The 25-year-old midfielder had to be removed at halftime against Croatia and apparently told John Herdman that he needed to be removed even earlier. Is it worth risking further injury when he is having such a fantastic season with Portuguese giants Porto? His continued success there, including in the upcoming Champions League knockout stage could be critical with an eye toward 2026.

These decisions extend to substitutions as well. Does Herdman bring on players like Samuel Piette or David Wotherspoon who are unlikely to still be involved in four years’ time or does he give a World Cup debut to a player like Ike Ugbo?

These are once-in-a-lifetime minutes, and how Herdman decides to allocate them could be critical to getting the most out of this match.

Morocco proving to have one of the tournament’s most stingy backlines

Only three sides have yet to concede a goal at the 2022 Qatar World Cup as of Wednesday morning: Brazil, Poland, and perhaps most surprisingly, Morocco.

Through two matches, the Atlas Lions have allowed just 1.5 expected goals against, seventh-best in the tournament and even more impressive when considering their first two matches came against Croatia (a 0-0 draw) and Belgium (a 2-0 victory).

Morocco has lined up the same back four for both matches. Captain Roman Saïss has formed an outstanding centre-back pairing with Nayef Ageurd that has done an exceptional job of not only keeping the side organized and snuffing out dangerous chances, but also making tidy passes to play the Atlas Lions out of dangerous situations.

The fullbacks, Achraf Hakimi, who plays for PSG, and Noussair Mazraoui — who plays opposite Alphonso Davies at Bayern Munich (but plays left back for country) are world-class both going forward and defending opposing wide players. Perhaps more than against any other opponent so far in this tournament, including Croatia, Canada will have a difficult time attacking down the wings.

Hakimi is tied for first in the tournament in tackles won with seven. Saïss, meanwhile, has yet to lose an aerial battle at this tournament (he is a perfect five for five) and had 11 clearances against Belgium. This is the kind of quality that Canada’s attackers will need to find creative ways to unlock in order to earn a first-ever World Cup result.