Canada gears up for must-win game vs. Croatia at men's World Cup
CBC
Viewing parties are planned across the country today as soccer fans gear up to watch Canada's World Cup match against Croatia at 11 a.m. ET — a do-or-die game for the team in its first tournament appearance in 36 years.
The pressure is on as both the 41st-ranked Canadians and No. 12 Croatia need to get points out of the match to preserve any chance of moving on.
A loss for Canada would mean the Canadians can finish with no more than three points in its Group while Croatia ups its total to four. Earlier Sunday, Morocco defeated Belgium to move to the top of Group F with four points, while Belgium sits at three points having defeated Canada in their opener on Wednesday.
WATCH | Canada faces must-win game vs. Croatia:
The Canadian men shone in their first game at the international soccer showcase last week, but failed to convert a slew of chances in a 1-0 loss to Belgium.
With only two teams advancing out of the group, a loss today would render Canada's final group game next Thursday with Morocco meaningless in terms of tournament progression.
Belgium tops Group F with three points, while Croatia and Morocco both have one point after their scoreless draw.
Croatia goes into Sunday's match riding a seven-game unbeaten streak dating back to a 3-0 loss to Austria in June UEFA Nations League play.
Watch Soccer North live immediately following each of Canada's games on CBC Gem, CBCSports.ca and the CBC Sports YouTube channel
Canada made wheelchair curling history on Thursday as the first team at any Paralympics to complete round-robin play without a loss.
The winningest men's ski cross racer in history added to his total on Thursday.
Canada's Mark Arendz collected his 14th career Paralympic medal while teammate Brittany Hudak earned her fourth in Wednesday's standing cross-country skiing races at Milano Cortina.
Alphonso Davies covered his face with his shirt as he left the field with an injury in Bayern Munich's game against Atalanta in the Champions League on Tuesday in Bergamo, Italy, raising questions about the Canadian star's availability for the World Cup.
Canadian Para nordic skiing star Natalie Wilkie has now won a medal of every colour at the Milano-Cortina Paralympics, adding bronze in the women's standing sprint classic on Tuesday in Val di Fiemme.
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Canadian Para alpine skier Kalle Eriksson and guide Sierra Smith continued their impressive Paralympic debut on Monday by racing to bronze in the men's visually impaired super-G for their second medal.
Matt Dunstone won his first Canadian men's curling championship after knocking hard on the Brier's door in recent years.
Natalie Wilkie won Canada's first gold medal of the Milano-Cortina Paralympics, topping the podium in the women's standing biathlon on Sunday.
Most Paralympic athletes live relatively normal lives when they’re not competing.
Para alpine skier Kalle Eriksson and guide Sierra Smith took silver in the men's visually impaired downhill competition for Canada's first medal of the Milano-Cortina Paralympics on Saturday in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.
The Milano-Cortina Winter Paralympics officially opened Friday amid the tensions of war in the Middle East, and with some countries boycotting the opening ceremony because of the return of the Russian flag to the global sports stage.
Iran will not participate in the Milan Cortina Paralympics because its only athlete set to compete can't safely travel to Italy amid the intensifying Middle East conflict, the International Paralympic Committee said Friday.