Day 4 of the 2022 World Cup brought a little bit of everything -- from upsets to breakout performances.
Morocco and Croatia kicked things off early with a scoreless draw. Throughout the midday competitions, two giants took the field -- Germany ended up on the chopping block while Spain put up the most dominant performance of the tournament. Ending the day was Canada and Belgium in a chippy match that saw the Red Devils emerge with three points.
Let’s take a look at some of the biggest moments on the fourth day of the 2022 World Cup:
Japanese subs shock Germany
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Never underestimate the power of a substitution.
Down 1-0 to the heavily-favored German side, Ritsu Doan and Takuma Asano came off the bench for Japan to provide back-to-back goals in the final 15 minutes including this gritty game-winner.
The Germans, who entered Qatar with lofty expectations after finishing last in their group in 2018, now find themselves in jeopardy of another early departure…all just eight years removed from their World Cup victory in 2014.
And how did the Japanese fans celebrate their win? By cleaning up around Khalifa International Stadium.
Teenage Gavi wows in Spain’s 7-0 routing
The latest wunderkind has arrived on the world stage in historic fashion.
Spain put on a true team performance in their 7-0 win over Costa Rica, but it was teenage midfielder Gavi who made headlines when he became the third-youngest player to score at the World Cup. Only Brazil’s Pele and Mexico’s Manuel Rosas were younger than Gavi, who is 18 years, 110 days old.
His goal came two days after 19-year-old Jude Bellingham put one in the net for England. Between Bellingham, Gavi and 19-year-old Spanish teammate Pedri, this World Cup is shaping up to be a showcase of young talent.
Thibaut Courtois blocks Alphonso Davies’ penalty kick
Within minutes of kickoff, Belgium looked destined to join Argentina and Germany in the upset corner as Canada’s Alphonso Davies stepped up to take a penalty kick against goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
Despite being one of the best players in the Bundesliga and the heart and soul of Canada’s national team, Davies had only taken one penalty kick in his professional career -- club or national team. That inexperience might have been the difference as Courtois dove right to block Davies’ shot and allowed the Belgium defense time to swarm and prevent a second attempt.
Canada outshot Belgium 22-9, but the Red Devils made the most of their attempts, taking the lead in the 44th minute and holding out for a 1-0 win.
