VANCOUVER, BC, CANADA:
Canada secured their first FIFA World Cup victory by defeating Qatar 0-6 in a one-sided match, but the remarkable victory was overshadowed by a serious injury to midfielder Ismail Kone.
In the match played in Vancouver, Canada played aggressively from the start. In the 16th minute, Ciel Lauren scored a goal and put his team ahead, and in the 29th minute, Jonathan David scored 0-2.
Qatar suffered a big loss in the 33rd minute when Homam Al-Amin was sent off for a foul.
Jonathan David scored his second goal in overtime of the first half to cut Canada’s lead to 0-3.
A tragic incident occurred in the second half when Canada’s Ismail Kone and Qatar’s Asim Omar Madibo collided for the ball. Cone was seriously injured and was carted off the field after lengthy medical attention on the shoulders.
After the incident, Madibo’s yellow card was turned into a red card with the help of VAR, and after that Qatar had 9 players.
The Canadian fans chanted for Ismail Kone, and the injured player thanked the fans by shaking his hand on his shoulder.
The head coach of the team, Jesse Marsh, was also emotional after seeing the condition of his player.
In the 63rd minute, Nathan Saliba scored 0-4 with a beautiful free goal and raised the corner shirt in celebration to unite with his injured friend.
Later, Qatar’s Mohammed Al Mana’i unfortunately put the ball into his own net, while Jonathan David completed his hat-trick with the third goal in extra time to make it 0-6.
After this impressive win, Canada qualified for Group B. Although the team is close to reaching the knockout stage, Ismail Kone’s injury could be a big setback for Canada in the upcoming matches.
