Canada finally got their first World Cup win, and they did it in dominant fashion. A 6-0 thumping of Qatar on Thursday night in Toronto put the co-hosts on the board in Group B and gave the home crowd something to cheer about. Jonathan David was the star, bagging a hat trick that vaults him into the Golden Boot conversation. But nobody in that stadium or on that bench is celebrating.
Because in the second half, midfielder Ismael Kone went down after a tackle from Qatar’s Assim Madibo right near the Canadian bench, and the sound was unmistakable. Canada manager Jesse Marsch said everyone on the sideline heard the bone snap.
“I haven’t spoken to Ismael yet, he’s at the hospital, he will prepare for a surgery. I’m going to see him after this press conference,” Marsch told reporters. “We’ll see exactly what we decide to do for him. His family is with him at the hospital. It happened right in front of the bench – everyone could hear the bone snap.”
Marsch described Kone waving to the crowd as he was stretchered off, trying to calm everyone else down despite being the one with a broken leg. “That’s an incredible statement about Ismael as a person,” Marsch said. “But this is our team. I’ve been trying to tell people for two years about the special character of this group, and it gets highlighted in moments of challenge and in moments of glory.”
The tackle earned Madibo a straight red after a VAR review, reducing Qatar to nine men following Homam Ahmed’s first-half dismissal. Cyle Larin and Nathan Saliba also scored for Canada, and there was an own goal from Mohamed Manai mixed in there too. It was a laugher on the scoreboard but a grim scene in the stands.
Mexico Becomes First Team to Clinch Knockout Berth
Elsewhere in the tournament, co-host Mexico became the first team to officially punch their ticket to the knockout stage. They beat South Korea 1-0 in Guadalajara on a goal from Luis Romo, who pounced on a loose ball after Korean goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu collided with his own defender in the box. The goal came in the 67th minute of a tense, nervy match that never really opened up.
Mexico now sits atop Group A with six points and one group game remaining. The win guarantees they’ll play their round-of-32 match on home soil, and if they keep winning, they’d stay in Mexico through the round of 16. That kind of short travel is a real advantage, especially for a team that’s struggled in recent World Cups to get past the group stage.
For South Korea, it’s a gut punch. They came into this tournament with real hopes of advancing, but now they’re sitting on one point and need a win in their final group match to have any chance.
The tournament continues Friday with three more second-round group games, including a matchup between defending champions Argentina and a desperate Senegal side that lost its opener. The injury to Kone is still fresh, but the World Cup machine keeps turning.
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