WATCH: English Premier League Legend Greets Canadian Players After Loss To Belgium

The 2022 World Cup has provided some stunning upsets thus far with the wins of Japan and Saudi Arabia against powerhouses Germany and Argentina respectively, but the respect being fostered by both players and coaches to one another deserves its spotlight as well.

Canada and Belgium rounded out the most recent set of games which saw a hard-fought battle between both nations.

For Canada, a win would have been a momentous occasion after being on the sidelines for the past eight iterations of the World Cup–their last appearance in 1986 being their very first and recorded zero points after losing thrice in as many games played.

No one can blame them at the time since they were grouped with the Soviet Union, France and Hungary with the first two advancing to the next round.

Against Belgium, the Canadians put up a spirited effort for much of the first half as they poured their hearts out in search of their first-ever World Cup goal.

Left-back Alphonso Davies had an opportunity to give them their maiden score when the virtual assistant referee (VAR) determined Yannick Carrasco of Belgium handled the ball in the area at the 11th minute.

However, all-time great goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois turned Davies' relatively tame penalty attempt and Canada eventually fell to Belgium as Fenerbahce striker Michy Batshuayi came through for them at the 44th minute, slotting the ball in the top right corner.

English Premier League legend and current Belgium assistant coach Thierry Henry waited in the tunnel to greet the Canadians following the match.

Those unfamiliar with Henry's illustrious career would simply see it as a wholesome gesture from an all-time great in the sport, but it is also worth mentioning at this point that he has an affinity towards a number of them.

From November 14, 2019 to February 25 2021, Henry was the manager of Major League Soccer side Montreal Impact (currently known as CF Montreal) and only decided to step down from his post in order to return back home to London, England for his children.

Soccer and other sports as well are meant to foster a sense of camaraderie between everyone involved, and seeing Henry approach the Canadian national team for their effort against Belgium is a great sign of sportsmanship–regardless of the outcome.

Canada will have their next crack at a maiden goal against 2018 World Cup runner-ups Croatia on Sunday, November 27 at 12:00 PM ET, while Belgium is set to face Morocco on the same day at 9:00 AM ET.