World Cup: 5 keys to Canada beating Qatar

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It was a “Merry Swiss-miss” for Canada after Qatar stunned the 19th-ranked Switzerland team with an 11th hour equalizer on Saturday, the result kicking the door to topping the group wide open. There was also another little stocking stuffer in there: The key to unlocking a stalwart Qatari low block that frustrated the Swiss.

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They could only manage a penalty shot goal from Breel Embolo, but dominated possession (70 per cent) and scoring chances (24-6). Qatar was content to let the Swiss attacks break on their compact, low block, which they spent 47 per cent of the game in, and another 17 in the mid block, and didn’t attempt a single high press the entire game.

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When Switzerland had the ball, 27 per cent of the time it was in the final third, but they couldn’t crack the Qataris.

“We’ve looked over some stuff,” Canada left back Richie Laryea. “Switzerland did create a lot of chances that they just didn’t finish. They end up scoring on a penalty, but there was a number of ways they broke them down that we’ve looked at, that we’ll look to also do, to break them down as well, to get our chances on goal.

“It’s going to be tough for us. I think we’re going to have more time to ball this game, but at the end, Qatar wants to win as well, because we have the same possibilities as them.”

The rope-a-dope low block has worked for several teams to blunt the attack of higher-ranked, more skilled teams; the Saudis used it effectively to stymie Uruguay in a 1-1 tie on Monday. Australia beat Turkey 2-0 at B.C. Place in much the same way, hitting the Turks effectively on the counter while setting up a fortress inside their own area.

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Monday provided the best example, with debutantes Cape Verde kneecapping the world’s third-ranked team, Spain, and holding them to a scoreless draw. Saudi Arabia coach Georgios Donis, after his team denied Uruguay, called the result with Spain the “biggest surprise in this World Cup.”

“Every game at the World Cup is hard. We’ve been seeing the latest results, even from other groups, and it’s very surprising,” said midfielder Stephen Eustáquio.

“That Swiss match is a perfect template for us to look at in terms of the mentality of the team, also with how they want to play,” added right back Alistar Johnston. “They’ve got some really talented players up front who are a little bit maverick in nature, in terms of they kind of, you know, just kind of do their own thing.

“But at the same time, that group defends really well. Their manager’s got them playing in a really compact shape, defending their box, and they’re comfortable. You could see that they never feel like they’re out of a game, no matter how the game was going. You can make an argument that Swiss probably felt going into halftime that they should be up by multiple goals. They weren’t, and it came back to bite them in the end.

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“It’s been a sign that you know if you are able to defend, be compact, you can stay in games against anyone. It doesn’t matter if it’s Spain or whoever. That’s a good lesson … you know all these games are going to be tight. It’s a World Cup.”

First blood

The Canadian players say they don’t feel any pressure anymore. The hype and nerves of playing their first World Cup game on home soil is over, along with the pre-tournament jitters that came with the spotlight.

They only feel pressure over one thing.

“The urgency is to just get that first goal,” said Eustáquio. “That’s the thing we have to (do).”

“Goals are gonna be hard to come by. It’s not something that we’re not aware of,” Johnston added. “So, it’s gonna be really important that can you get an early goal, and then if we do, then we know that teams are playing on our terms, having to open up a bit more. That really opens up more space for us, which kind of plays into our hands.”

When opening the scoring, Canada is 7-1-2 since start of the 2025, with the lone loss coming in the Gold Cup finals on penalties to Guatemala.

“It gives us confidence,” said Eustáquio. “We have to push the crowd to our side in the beginning of the game start very well. That’s something that we weren’t able to do against Bosnia, but if we start very well, if you start creating chances right from the beginning, we bring the crowd with us, and hopefully that takes out a little bit of power that Qatar has.”

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Speaking of the crowd

A few of the Canada players watched Turkey and Australia at B.C. Place on Saturday, and were awed by the turnout and atmosphere, calling it a “proper footballing environment.”

“Hopefully, it’s going to be a full stadium full of red,” Eustáquio said.

Qatar is wary of what this game will be like, after playing in neutral territory against Switzerland in San Francisco, and having expended so much energy in that tie.

“I am very proud of the team,” coach Julen Lopetegui said after the match. “I told them that even if we hadn’t scored the goal and didn’t draw, I would have been proud of the mentality and discipline that they showed today. But fortunately we scored and that was history.

“The next match will be the most difficult because it is against Canada, one of the host countries, and they will be playing in front of their fans. We must be well prepared after recovery, especially since the players have exerted a great deal of effort.”

To a man, including Marsch, the team spoke how the crowd at BMO Field propped them up in the difficult moments against Bosnia, and practically scored the goal for them. The prospect of topping the group, and having a knockout round game in Vancouver as well, is an enticing carrot for the group.

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“It’s a home World Cup for us, but it’s only a home world cup in the knockout stages if we finish top of the group,” said Johnston. “That’s something that’s not forgotten in this group. We know how important, and influential the home crowd is going to be.

“You obviously want to get out of the group, but the idea of potentially having a pathway where you’re staying in Vancouver as long as possible, keeping a home crowd on your side. You look at any host nation, maybe a smaller nation on footballing terms, that made a deep run, they use that crowd to their advantage. So it’s something that if we can stay in Canada as long as possible, we’re gonna be pretty happy with that.”

Don’t worry about Johnny

Plenty of angst-ridden column inches have been written about Jonathan David, who didn’t score against Bosnia-Herzegovina, and was subbed off in the 60th minute with just a single shot to his credit.

He didn’t have a shot on target in the team’s final warm-up match against Ireland, and of his last four goals, three have been from the penalty spot. But while he wasn’t scoring against Bosnia, he drew the bulk of the defensive attention, and was key in tracking back to recover turnovers or stopping attacks before they could start.

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“With a guy like Johnny, people get too hung up on the goals and assists. For me, at the end of the day, he’s just a really, really talented footballer,” said Johnston. “When he’s on his best, it’s not necessarily contributing to the goal. … The spaces that he picks up, how he sees the game, and how he feels the game is unique to anyone in our, in our nation, to be honest.

“So, look, I’m not too bothered about whether he’s scoring or not. Of course, I’d love him to be top scorer of the World Cup — that means that we probably went pretty far — I have no doubt that he’s going to bounce back, and have a really big tournament for us.

“He is, at the end of the day, one of our most talented players, one of our smartest players.”

Chill out, Phonzie

It’s looking more and more likely that Alphonso Davies won’t play against Qatar, to allow his hamstring injury to completely heal before he takes the field. But the veteran Laryea has been a capable replacement, with Marsch saying he’d been one of the team’s best players recently.

His speed matches any wingers he’s faced so far, and he also has mastered the dark arts of trash-talking, and burrowing under opponent’s skins. It’s no problem if he doesn’t speak Arabic.

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“Yeah, it’s universal (language),” he said. “There is … I won’t repeat them, but yeah, there’s stuff you definitely can say, nothing that crosses a line, but enough to piss someone off in the game.”

Laryea doesn’t have the world-breaking speed or dribbling skills of Davies, but he’s capable in his own right.

“I think anyone in the world offers something different than Phonzie. Phonzie is quite unique in that sense, probably the fastest player I’ve ever seen,” Johnston said. “Richie’s an unbelievable player in his own right. I think what he provides in terms of his ability to really let us do different tactical things, in terms of his ability to roll into the midfield, go high and wide, dribble out of things, but also be tenacious, a one-v-one defender.

“It really helps with our build, in terms of how you know we like to do things, with sometimes me tucking in, me pushing on, and him, his ability to join into a back three or back four, or join in the middle three.

“He’s a massive part of our group. If we get Fonzie back, that’s obviously ideal, you want one of many as your world-class players you can possibly have on the pitch of it, whenever you can, but I know hamstrings, they’re ones that you can’t take shortcuts with, so his health is the most important to us.”

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Ready, get set

If Canada can’t break down the Qataris, pressuring them into corners or fouls in dangerous areas will be just as important.

One of Canada’s best scoring chances of the first half against Bosnia came off of a Eustáquio corner kick, but they couldn’t puncture the big Bosnia backline with any others.

“It’s all about timing and delivery,” he said. “That’s a little bit on me, but on timing and just making sure that everybody’s at the right spot at the right time, and just be aggressive inside the box as well. As well with the deliveries, I think that’s not going to be an issue.

“Everybody’s talking about set pieces for this game, but against Ireland, we scored one, so I’m not bothered.”

jadams@postmedia.com

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