Everton midfielder, Amadou Onana made his World Cup debut for Belgium in their ‘narrow’ 1-0 win over Canada, coming on as a second-half substitute and playing a very important role for his side.
Onana signed for Everton during the summer transfer window from LOSC Lille for around £30 million, making him the club’s most expensive signing of the window.
Although the move has really put him on the world stage, he actually made his debut for the Belgian national team before completing his move to England, coming on as a substitute against the Netherlands in the Nations League.
Since then, he has made 4 appearances for Roberto Martinez’s side, earning him a call-up for the World Cup squad to go to Qatar.
Unsurprisingly, the 21-year-old was not picked in the Belgian starting 11, with Youri Tielemans and Axel Witsel occupying his preferred holding midfield position.
The red devils would take the lead late in the second half, with Michy Batshuayi converting from Kevin De Bruyne’s long ball. However, the goal came against the run of play, with Canada having the most chances to take the lead early on.
As a result of his side’s poor first-half performance, Martinez decided to bring Onana into the fray to replace the struggling Youri Tielemansand his presence was felt immediately.
Belgium looked calmer on the ball after his introduction and, despite receiving a harsh yellow card on the hour mark, he was one of the best players in a red shirt.
Belgium will be thanking their lucky stars that they managed to take all 3 points from the game but will hope for a more dominant display in their next fixture against Morocco. Perhaps Amadou Onana has done enough to earn himself a place in the starting lineup next time around.
We take the lead in our group! 🔝 #BELCAN #DEVILTIME pic.twitter.com/7dpme5KmK2
— Belgian Red Devils (@BelRedDevils) November 23, 2022
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