BC Place Vancouver was a battlefield as Kone was stretchered off, Qatar got 2 red cards, and both teams brawled after full time. Published On 19 Jun 202619 Jun 2026Canada thrashed nine-man Qatar 6-0 to clinch their first-ever World Cup victory in a Group B match, marred by a horrific injury to the home team’s midfielder Ismael Kone, and disciplinary issues both during and after the match.A Jonathan David hat-trick, one goal apiece from Cyle Larin and Nathan Saliba, as well as a Qatar own goal, sealed a momentous victory for the Canadians at the BC Place Vancouver stadium on Thursday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listCanada now need only a draw against Switzerland in their final match to finish top of the group, while Qatar and Bosnia and Herzegovina will aim to finish third when they meet on Wednesday.But the celebratory atmosphere in Vancouver, with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney cheering on Les Rouges, was soured by a serious injury to Kone in the 51st minute.Qatar’s Assim Madibo upended Kone with a clumsy challenge from behind, leaving the Italy-based midfielder writhing in agony and clutching his left leg.The seriousness of the injury was immediately apparent as teammates frantically called for help from the Canadian medical staff on the sidelines.Kone was eventually stretchered off the pitch, waving to the crowd as he inhaled from an oxygen pipe. Kone waves to the crowd as he receives oxygen while being stretchered off after sustaining an injury [Agustin Marcarian/Reuters]Madibo, who had initially been given a yellow card for the tackle, was sent off after it was upgraded to red following a VAR review, the second Qatari dismissal after Homam Ahmed was given his marching orders in the first half. Advertisement With Qatar down to nine men, Canada took full advantage to score three more goals.Saliba, who had replaced the injured Kone, curled in a free kick to make it 4-0 in the 64th minute.The substitute celebrated his goal by racing to the sideli …
