Canada suffered a massive blow during their 6-0 win against Qatar in their latest World Cup 2026 match at BC Place, Vancouver, on Thursday night, as Ismael Kone left the pitch on a stretcher.
Kone, 24, sustained a broken leg after a reckless challenge from Qatari midfielder Assim Madibo early in the second half, sparking a scuffle between players and coaches. The Ivory Coast-born soccer player was taken straight to the hospital and is set to have surgery, effectively ending his World Cup campaign.
Madibo received his marching orders for the crunch tackle, further reducing Qatar to nine men, as Homam Ahmed already had a red card in the first half for bringing down Tajon Buchanan near the penalty area.
Kone’s replacement, Nathan Saliba, came on in the 56th minute, and the Anderlecht youngster scored his first World Cup goal 11 minutes into his shift with a wonderful free-kick over the Qatari wall. After entering the scoresheet, Saliba held up Kone’s national team jersey in front of their home crowd.
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Ismael Kone’s horrific injury gives Canada a greater sense of purpose
With the blowout victory over Qatar, Canada have seized the top spot in Group B, putting them one step closer to reaching the knockout stage for the first time. During the post-match interviews, the Maple Leafs said they’ll be dedicating the rest of their World Cup campaign to Ismael Kone.
“He means everything to this team,” Jonathan David said of Kone. “If you (ask) the same question to any guy on the team, they will tell you the same. I don’t even know how to describe him. He’s someone that we love a lot.”
“Every guy lives the emotions a certain way, and we went through the emotions in that time. Man, it’s so difficult to put into words, but it’s just a moment to say, ‘hey, you’re not alone. I’m feeling the same thing as you, but we have a job to finish for him’.” Maxime Crepeau added.
Canada broke several records during their 6-0 win over Qatar, as they became the first CONCACAF side to score at least six goals in a single World Cup game. Jonathan David also became just the second CONCACAF player to net a World Cup hat-trick after Bert Patenaude in 1930, making him this year’s tournament’s second player to have done so alongside Argentina’s Lionel Messi.
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