Canada wrote a new chapter in their football history on Thursday, thrashing Qatar 6-0 in front of 52,497 fans in Vancouver to secure the country’s first-ever victory at a men’s World Cup. The result, however, was overshadowed by a horrifying leg injury to midfielder Ismaël Koné, who was stretchered off after a foul by Qatar’s Assim Madibo in the second half.
Jonathan David led the celebration with a hat-trick, as Jesse Marsch’s side built on their dominant 6-0 win over Qatar, following a steady climb up the Concacaf charts and a credible run to the 2024 Copa América semi-final. Marsch made two changes to the starting XI, bringing in Cyle Larin, who came off the bench to equalise against Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Ali Ahmed for Liam Millar and Tani Oluwaseyi, while Alphonso Davies started among the substitutes.
“Canada beat Qatar 6-0 for their first men's World Cup win, but Ismaël Koné suffered a horror leg injury”
Earlier in the day, Switzerland edged closer to a place in the World Cup round of 32 after a 4-1 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in Inglewood, with substitute Johan Manzambi scoring twice in a thrilling final 20 minutes. The 20-year-old Freiburg striker, introduced from the bench, turned the game decisively in Switzerland’s favour.
England also began their campaign with a perfect start on Wednesday, beating Croatia 4-2 thanks to goals from Harry Kane (2), Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford. Thomas Tuchel’s side will face Ghana in their next Group H match.
Tensions spilled over after Canada’s win, with footage emerging of Marsch and Lopetegui in an angry exchange at full time, though the latter had little defence for some of the challenges during the match.