The 2022 World Cup continued to dish up thrills and spills on Day 4. Two results stood out in particular, with Japan coming from behind to beat Germany and Spain crushing Costa Rica 7-0.
Elsewhere, Morocco and Croatia played out a goalless draw in the first game of the day. In the final clash of Day 4, Belgium survived a scare to beat Canada 1-0. Let’s dive into the major talking points from all for of Wednesday’s games.
A Spanish goal fest and another HUGE #FIFAWorldCup upset headlines Matchday 4️⃣ 🗞️ #Qatar2022 pic.twitter.com/qggKah4OLd— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) November 24, 2022
A Spanish goal fest and another HUGE #FIFAWorldCup upset headlines Matchday 4️⃣ 🗞️ #Qatar2022 pic.twitter.com/qggKah4OLd
Morocco and Croatia played out the third 0-0 draw of the 2022 World Cup at Al-Bayt Stadium. Both sides had opportunities to claim all three points, but the Day 4 opener ended goalless after multiple missed chances.
Croatia dominated possession, enjoying 65% of the ball. However, Morocco registered eight shots to Croatia’s four. The 2018 finalists will need to up their game if they want to go deep into the tournament once again.
When Ilkay Gundogan struck from the penalty spot on 33 minutes, it looked as though Germany would go on to dominate Japan. But the Samurai Blue had other ideas, scoring two late goals to come from behind and snatch a memorable win.
Ritsu Doan equalised for Japan on 75 minutes before Takuma Asano netted the winner eight minutes later. Despite registering a whopping 74% possession and 26 shots, the Germans ended up coming away with nothing to show for their efforts.
Spain produced one of the most dominant performances in World Cup history to humiliate Costa Rica at Al-Thumama Stadium. La Roja racked up 17 shots and 82% possession while scoring seven goals, with the Costa Ricans failing to record a single attempt on target.
Goals from Dani Olmo and Marco Asensio put Spain in control before Ferran Torres bagged a brace. Gavi became Spain’s youngest-ever World Cup scorer when he netted the fifth, with Carlos Soler and Alvaro Morata completing the scoring.
Canada found themselves in World Cup dreamland when they were awarded a penalty inside ten minutes against Belgium. However, Alphonso Davies’ tame spot-kick was saved by Thibaut Courtois.
Believe it or not, the Canadians notched a whopping 22 shots across the course of the 90 minutes. But the Belgians stood firm. As it turned out, Michy Batshuayi’s 44th-minute proved to be the difference between the teams.