Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois saved a penalty kick to lead Belgium to a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Canada, in the opening match of the World Cup, on Wednesday.
Courtois saved a kick from Alfonso Davies early in the match and saved more than one opportunity to deny Canada its first World Cup goal, after returning to a competition in which it first participated in 1986.
Despite Canada’s clear advantage, Belgium, without injured striker Romelu Lukaku, took the lead before halftime against the run of play through Michy Batshuayi, after a long pass from Toby Alderweireld.
Coach Roberto Martinez’s team, third in the 2018 World Cup, improved after the break and withstood Canada’s attempts to come out with the three points in Group F, which saw a goalless draw between Croatia and Morocco earlier on Wednesday.
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