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Canada scores historic first goal at World Cup, but its dream is over

CATHAL KELLY OPINION

AWorld Cup is about sports, but it’s also about global communications. With several hundred million people watching, there’s a chance to project the best version of your country to a worldwide audience. Canada hadn’t had that chance for 36 years. For one day here, it got it very right.

After its battling loss to Belgium in the first game, everyone was talking about Canada. So young. So fearless. So much fun. Who knew? This was a thousand tourism campaigns being shoehorned into one, 90-minute broadcast.

Afterward, we were everyone’s new soccer crush. Then Canada went and opened its big, collective mouth.

What’s the one-line takeaway about Canada for the world’s soccer-loving citizens who couldn’t find Toronto on a map? ‘Canada: big talkers; not so big finishers.’

Croatia beat Canada 4-1 on Sunday, a result that eliminated the Canadians from the World Cup after two matches.

A lot of good soccer things have happened here for the Canadian program. More good things happened on Sunday.

The men’s team scored its very first goal at a World Cup, through Alphonso Davies.

The game kicked off at 7 p.m. local time. Canada’s opponent, Croatia, punched in for its shift at 7:02. In between, Canada slid the ball from goal to goal among 11 ballwatching Croatians. Three passes and then Mr. Davies headed it into the back of the net. There may be better goals scored at this tournament, but none will look so simple.

For 20 more minutes, Canada put Croatia on its heels. If you squinted just right, you could imagine this country astride the soccer world.

Then the next 70 minutes happened. Fielding arguably the best midfield in this tournament, Croatia slowed the game to its preferred pace. It pinned Canada back. Then the Croatians carved up the Canadians like a Thanksgiving turkey.

Croatia scored four unanswered goals. The last one was so comical and took so long to develop that the entire Croatian bench had time to run to the sideline and cheer as the ball went in.

The result was 4-1 Croatia. Canada’s World Cup doesn’t officially end until Thursday, when it plays Morocco, but it’s already over.

MOGADISHU Islamist militants attacked a hotel used by government officials in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu on Sunday evening, police and witnesses said.

Al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab, which controls large swaths of the country, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying in a statement that it was targeting the nearby presidential palace.

“We were shaken by a huge blast, followed by heavy exchange of gunfire,” said Ahmed Abdullahi, who lives close to the scene. “We are just indoors and listening to gunfire.”

Security forces were responding to an attack by al-Shabab on a hotel in the capital’s Bondhere district, state broadcaster SNTV said on Twitter.

“The forces rescued government officials and members of the public who were trapped in the building,” the broadcaster said.

The assailants stormed the Villa Rose hotel, which is close to the presidential palace, two police officers told Reuters. It was not immediately clear how many attackers there were, the officers said.

Some government officials at the Villa Rose were rescued after using windows to escape, said Mohammed Abdi, one of the police officers.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who was elected earlier this year, has been carrying out a military offensive against al-Shabab.

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2022-11-28T08:00:00.0000000Z

2022-11-28T08:00:00.0000000Z

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