Canada is celebrating a historic first FIFA World Cup victory with a stunning 6-0 demolition of Qatar, but the momentous occasion was overshadowed by a devastating injury to midfielder Ismaël Koné and an emotional tribute from his replacement Nathan Saliba.Koné suffered a gruesome injury to his left leg following a reckless challenge from Qatar midfielder Assim Madib in the second half of the Group B encounter. The 24-year-old collapsed in agony and immediately signaled for help, prompting teammates to rush to his side. Canada captain Stephen Eustáquio admitted the sight left the players fearing the worst.“I saw his leg. I saw something was wrong,” Eustáquio said after the game.Madibo received a straight red card for the challenge, leaving Qatar with nine men after Homam Ahmed had already been sent off in the first half. Koné received lengthy treatment on the pitch before being stretchered off amid emotional scenes.
Jesse Marsch brings the latest on Koné
Despite the happy result, Canadian coach Jesse Marsch revealed that Koné had been transported to a local hospital and was preparing for surgery with his family by his side.The exact nature of the injury has not been officially released, although photographs from the incident indicated a serious fracture of the lower leg of the left leg.“We will miss him,” said Eustáquio. “He has that X factor that our team really needs.”Star forward Jonathan David also slammed the challenge that led to the injury.“If there’s a play where you can’t win the ball, there’s no point. It’s just hurting people,” David said.
Saliba pays tribute to his injured teammate after scoring
Less than 10 minutes after replacing Koné, Nathan Saliba produced one of the most memorable moments of the night.The substitute midfielder scored Canada’s fourth goal in the 64th minute and celebrated by holding Koné’s jersey in a heartfelt tribute to his injured teammate.The emotional gesture came on a night that also belonged to Jonathan David, who scored a hat-trick as Canada all but secured a place in the knockout stages.Cyle Larin opened the scoring before David scored twice in the first half. Saliba made it 4-0 with his goal, while Mohamed Manai’s own goal and David’s third in stoppage time completed the rout.“No one will forget this, no Canadian will forget this day,” Marsch said after Canada’s first World Cup win.“This is an incredibly crucial moment for everyone to realize that there is talent in this country, there is mentality, there is desire and there are many things that make this country special.”
