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2 hours ago
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Key events
Jeff Rueter
At full strength, Canada can go toe-to-toe with any opponent in the Americas. After steady climbs up the Concacaf charts and a credible run to the 2024 Copa América semi-final, all hope was that a talented squad could find their stride at a home World Cup.
That belief came to life on Thursday, as Jesse Marsch’s side played a dominant 6-0 win over Qatar before a crowd of 52,497 for the country’s first-ever victory at a men’s World Cup. Jonathan David’s hat-trick led the celebration of the program’s progress over the past decade, marred only by a horror leg injury suffered by midfielder Ismaël Koné in the second half.
Jesse Marsch's reaction
We wanted to play the kind of football that would electrify the crowd. There’s gonna be 40 million Canadians who claim they were in the stadium today. These 55,000 were lucky, and what a performance from our team.
[On Ismael Kone’s injury] Look, Ismael is such a great kid. He’s so imperfect but that’s part of why you love him, right, because he can do great things – things that nobody else can do – and then the next moment he loses concentration for a second. He really embodies a lot of what the team is; against Bosnia he was our best player.
It’s a huge loss for us. He’ll be fine. We’ll get him to the doctors, we’ll get him back. Obviously our heart is with him, but that kid’s got a big future and he’s a big part of everything we do.
The players embody everything that is great about this country. They’re incredibly kind, and generous, and giving to each other. But they’re also great players and great competitors. I’m so proud to be their coach, and we’re gonna keep going.
From one co-host to another
There was a bit of aggro at the final whistle, with players from both camps getting involved. The two coaches also had words. We didn’t see much of it on British TV, and now they’ve gone to a hydration break an ad break.
Full time: Canada 6-0 Qatar
An historic day for Canada, who have won their first game at a men’s World Cup and are almost certainly through to the knockout stage.
Canada thrashed nine-man Qatar, with Juventus’s Jonathan David scoring an excellent hat-trick, but an horrific injury to Ismael Kone made it a bittersweet triumph.
90+8 min “It says something about how the Canadian players were affected by Kone’s injury that Jonathan David barely celebrated completing a hat trick at a home World Cup,” writes Kári Tulinius.
Yeah I forgot to mention that. It’s possibly the most sombre celebration of a World Cup hat-trick ever seen.
90+8 min A clipped cross from the right only just evades the leaping Larin at the near post.
90+7 min Canada are still pushing for more goals, which you don’t see very often in this situation.
90+4 min I need to double check but I think David is the first man to score a World Cup hat-trick for a host nation since Geoff Hurst in 1966.
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Pedro Cea (Uruguay 1930)
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Angelo Schiavio (Italy 1934)
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Ademir (Brazil 1950)
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Josef Hugi (Switzerland 1954)
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Geoff Hurst (England 1966)
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Jonathan David (Canada 2026)
Nathan Saliba’s shot from 22 yards hit David, who was trying to move out of the way. But David reacted superbly to ram the loose ball past Abunada with his left foot.
GOAL! Canada 6-0 Qatar (David 90+2)
Jonathan David has a World Cup hat-trick!
90 min Sigur’s shot from the edge of the D is blocked. There will be nine minutes of added time.
87 min: Qatar substitution Lucas Mendes replaces Ahmed Fathy, who only came on at half-time.
85 min Larin has a shot blocked. Canada could easily put their feet up but they are aggressively hunting a sixth goal.
83 min: Canada substitution Niko Sigur replaces the superb Tajon Buchanan.
82 min The indefatigable Johnston’s cross-shot is saved by Abumada, who has had quite a good game despite conceding five.
81 min We haven’t seen a replay of the Kone injury, for obvious reasons, but our picture desk have confirmed that it was a visibly horrible leg-break.
79 min The qualification permutations are infinite, but with four points and a +5 goal difference it’s hard to see a scenario whereby Canada don’t get through to the knockout stage. And as miserable as this has been for Qatar, a win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the final game might be enough for them too.
78 min “Devastated by the Koné injury,” writes Mac Millings. “He was only at Vicarage Road for 18 months, but he always seemed to have a touch of class both on and off the field. Wishing him a full and speedy recovery.”
You know it’s serious when Millings sends an unironic email.
77 min The goal has been given to Shaffelburg in the stadium, so perhaps his shot was on target. My instinct is that it was going just wide until Al-Mannai intervened.
GOAL! Canada 5-0 Qatar (Al-Mannai og 75)
It’s five. After another slick Canadian move on the right, Johnston drove a cross that was kicked away by the keeper. Buchanan’s follow-up was blocked, then the substitute Shaffelburg stretched to hook a volley towards the far corner. It was going just wide until Al-Mannai, who couldn’t be sure the ball was going wide and had to do something shinned it into his own net.
72 min: Double substitution for Canada Jacob Shaffelburg and Tani Oluwaseyi come on for Ali Ahmed and Luc De Fougerolles.
71 min “Well this has certainly taken the fun out of our first men’s team World Cup (potential) win,” writes Liz White. “I hope the guys’ hockey mentality is limited to goals, not injured teammates. All the positive thoughts for Kone and his recovery.”
68 min Hydration break. Jesse Marsch looks almost tearful as he addresses his Canada team. It’s an historic day for them, but the horrible injury to Ismael Kone makes it hard to fully enjoy that.
65 min Apparently that’s the first goal to be scored from a direct free-kick at this World Cup.
GOAL! Canada 4-0 Qatar (Saliba 64)
Lovely goal! Nathan Saliba, who came on for poor Ismael Kone, clips a sweet free-kick around the wall and into the net via the inside of the post. He runs straight over to the touchline to receive a Kone 8 shirt and raise it to all four sides of the ground.
Qatar’s wall wasn’t quite right – Saliba didn’t need to curl it that much – but it was still a fine goal.
62 min Fathy fouls Ali Ahmed just outside the area and is booked. Given this match is over as a contest, there’s an unusually febrile mood.
59 min: Qatar substitution Akram Afif is replaced by another defender, Hashmi Hussein.
56 min: Canada substitution Ismael Kone is stretchered off to be replaced by Nathan Saliba. He’s sitting up and waving to the fans as he is taken down the tunnel, which is both unexpected and uplifting.
55 min There’s a lot of pushing and shoving on the sidelines. It sounds like the referee upgraded the red card of his own accord, without VAR intervention, though I’m not certain about that.
54 min: Madibo sent off
It’s been upgraded to a red card. We haven’t seen a replay of the challenge, presumably because the leg-break is so horrible.
52 min Madibo is booked for the challenge, which looked appropriate at first glance despite the awful outcome. A number of the Canada players are angry, while the non-playing members of the team are forming a circle around Kone so that he can’t be filmed.
51 min: Kone suffers horrific injury
Kone is caught late by Madibo, falls over and then looks at his leg in horror. His reaction, and that of the other Canada players, suggests he’s suffered an extremely serious injury.
51 min There was a VAR check for a potential handball during that scramble, but nothing is given.
50 min No sign of Canada resting on their laurels. Larin has a shot blocked desperately after a scramble in the area.
46 min A few substitutions at half-time
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Canada Moise Bombito for Derek Cornelius.
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Qatar Ahmed Fathy and Mohamed Al-Mannai for Edmilson Jr. and Jassem Gaber.
“How is Watford legend and MotM in Canada’s first match, Ismaël Koné, playing?” asks Mac Millings. “I only ask because Watford legend, Edo Kayembe, played well against Portugal, Watford legend, Nestory Irankunda, scored a cracker and was MotM against Turkey, and Watford legend, Darren Bazeley, masterminded New Zealand’s thrilling 2-2 draw with Iran, and I’m ignoring Watford legend, Ismaïla Sarr’s, missed sitter against France.”
You’ve left yourself down by not mentioning Steve Sims.
“I bet Qatar can’t wait to make like a maple tree,” writes Peter Oh, “and leave.”
Half-time reading
“That third goal was such an ice hockey goal,” says Eddy Nason. “Crash the keeper and pick a rebound. Next thing you know Jonathan David will dribble round the back of the net and slot it in from the other post.”
I’ve now got Swingers on the brain. Capital S. [NB: clip contains a load of swearing.]
Half time: Canada 3-0 Qatar
Canada’s players are roared off at the break. This is what their coach Jesse Marsch said before the game:
We need a presence in the box; it’s a game where both Cyle [Larin] and Jonny [David] can find goals if they’re aggressive and ready for moments.
They were, they did. Larin scored the first, David the next two, and Qatar were reduced to ten when Homam Ahmed was sent off for dogsoing Tajon Buchanan.
45+5 min Johnston slams a cross-shot on the turn that is pushed away by Abunada.
The right-back Johnston swung a cross towards the far post, where Larin dismissed a the challenge of Alawai and powered a header towards goal. Abunada made a superb reaction save but could only claw the ball out in front of goal. David got to the loose ball first and poked a volley into the open net.
GOAL! Canada 3-0 Qatar (David 45+3)
Canada are romping to their first ever win at a men’s World Cup.
45+2 min An angled cross is nodded back across by Buchanan and headed away superbly by Edmilson Jr (I think).
45+1 min Six minutes of added time.
45 min Check complete, no penalty. Cornelius was pulling back his leg to shoot and made contact with Gaber, who knew nothing about it. That type of incident often leads to a penalty but ultimately Gaber did nothing wrong.
44 min Cornelius goes flying in the area. No penalty but it’ll be checked by VAR.
41 min: Qatar substitution Sultan Al-Brake, a full-back, replaces the striker Yusuf Abdurisag.
40 min “No way was that a foul,” writes Paul Cockburn of the Homam Ahmed red card. “It’s a miserable way to try and win a game, going down because there’s a mild breeze somewhere nearby.”
I don’t disagree, but just out of interest: have you watched any football in the last 20 years?
38 min: Off the line by Afif!
Laryea gets to the byline in the area and slides the ball across the six-yard box. It reaches Buchanan, whose off-balance shot is blocked on the line by Afif.
37 min Canada have been excellent and it’s hard to see any scenario in which they don’t win this game. Then again, we said the same at White Hart Lane on 4 February 2004.
33 min: No penalty, Homam Ahmed sent off!
Replays show the contact was fractionally outside the area, so the penalty is chalked off – but Homam Ahmed is dogsoed as a result.
No penalty = no goalscoring opportunity = a red card for denying one.
31 min: Penalty to Canada!
Buchanan gets behind the defence and is bundled over by Homam Ahmed. He is booked. It might have been a red card because he wasn’t trying to play the ball, but there’s also an argument that it wasn’t a foul.
Canada are on course for their first World Cup win – and with it, almost certainly, a place in the knockout stage. Tajon Buchanan’s low shot from distance was blocked, with the ball spinning towards Jonathan David 12 yarsd from goal. He reacted beautifully to judge the flight of the ball and then snap a volley past Abumada at the near post. Ordinarily you’d criticise a keeper for being beaten at the near post but that was so well struck by David.
