Canada and bad luck in Qatar 2022, a reflection of what Peru experienced in Russia 2018 | CHRONICLE

36 years later. A missed penalty in the World Cup debut. A defeat as painful and anguishing as the long-term wait. The same adverse result (1-0). utter frustration. The history of Peru in Russia 2018 has now been repeated with Canada in Qatar 2022.

The Canadians tried for a place in the World Cup as many times as the Peruvians and almost never succeeded. Just in the last Concacaf Qualifiers, the maple leaf team left behind the times of sorrow and overflowed with joy with a first place that gave it the long-awaited classification after more than three decades.

Months passed and the team that has Alphonso Davies as its top star, after exhaustive preparation, faced the start of Qatar 2022 with great enthusiasm. And as? Returning to a World Cup was a dream. It’s a dream.

In Russia 2018, many Peruvians broke the piggy bank to attend the World Cup. This time the Canadians did it to be present in the Qatar desert. It was worth it and it is worth it.

Accompanied by thousands of fans, then, the Canadian team did not shrink against a favorite like Belgium —Peru did not either against Denmark. At the rate of Davies, the maple leaf team put their rival on the ropes more than once, just as the ‘bicolor’ did four years earlier.

The story, to be more similar, had a missed penalty involved. A handball from Yannick Carrasco in the area gave Davies the chance to open the scoring from 11 steps. But the Canadian star missed against Thibaut Courtois, just as Christian Cueva missed against Kasper Schmeichel (although the latter sent the ball into the clouds).

Furthermore, Peru’s misfortune extended to Canada, which incessantly tried to score without success. The goal came, rather, in favor of the opponent. If for the ‘bicolor’ the executioner was Yussuf Poulsen, a man with dreadlocks, for the ‘mafle leaf’ it was Michy Batshuayi, another man with dreadlocks.

The Canadians also tried, at the very least, to tie the game. But it was not possible. At no time was it. Not even with thousands of projectiles thrown at the Belgian goal were they going to bring down the best goalkeeper in the world.

The final result, therefore, was the same as that of Peru. And it could not be another way. Canada lost 1-0 in their World Cup debut after 36 years. unfairly. It deserved more, as much as the ‘bicolor’.

What a reflection. The only difference in both cases, perhaps, is that Canada has a maple leaf in the middle of its flag and Peru does not, because even the colors of this national symbol are the same.

Be that as it may, the Canadians can still hope for a happy ending, one that the Peruvians did not have beyond their victory against Australia. ‘The canucks’ already staged a more than positive presentation against the most difficult opponent in their group and now they have to fight for the pass to the round of 16 against Croatia and Morocco, which will also be difficult to overcome. But there is hope.