Canada finally have their World Cup moment! 6-0 against Qatar, but it came at a cruel cost! Koné left the field with a broken leg. A Jonathan David hat-trick led a 6-0 demolition of Qatar at BC Place in Vancouver, giving the co-hosts the first World Cup win in their history.
Canada took control of the match from the start. Cyle Larin tapped in a spilled David shot on 16 minutes. Then Jonathan David took over. He scored on 29 and again in first-half stoppage time. By then Qatar were already down to 10 after Homam Al Amin's dismissal, and the game was effectively settled before half-time.
The second half started with a nightmare scene. Just 6 minutes in the second half Koné went down in agony after a reckless foul by Assim Madibo. The Canadian player was given oxygen and stretchered off, summoning the energy to wave to the crowd as he went. After a VAR review, the referee showed Madibo a red card, reducing Qatar to nine players.
With two extra players, Canada's dominance was total. Substitute Nathan Saliba curled a free-kick in off the post on 64 minutes, Jacob Shaffelburg forced Mohammad Manai into an own goal for the fifth, and David completed his hat-trick deep in stoppage time. David became the first Canadian to score three goals in a World Cup match. He is also the first host-nation player to manage a hat-trick since Geoff Hurst in 1966.
Afterwards, Canada's manager confirmed the 24-year-old midfielder had been taken to the hospital for surgery. For Koné, this was his last World Cup match. According to some sources, he may be off the field for a whole year.
The Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney watched from the stands and visited the dressing room afterwards. "It's in moments like that, you see character, a real team," he told the players, adding that he "couldn't be prouder as a Canadian."
Canada sit top of Group B with 4 points and need only a draw against Switzerland next Wednesday, again in Vancouver, to secure top spot. The Swiss beat 10-man Bosnia and Herzegovina 4-1 earlier in the day.
