Toronto, Canada.
Canada This Thursday he achieved the first World Cup victory for his men’s team with a 6-0 win over Qatar, which finished with 9 players, at the BC Place in Vancouver, which left it leader of Group B with 4 points, but which was marked by the serious injury of Ismael Koné in the 50th minute.
Jesse Marsch’s team, which had scored its first point in a match against Bosnia and Herzegovina World Cup took another historic leap with a performance of authority, high pressure and efficiency. Cyle Larin, Nathan Saliba, an own goal from Mohammad Al Mannai and a hat trick from Jonathan David marked an unprecedented night for Canadian soccer.
This is how the Canada vs Qatar match was experienced on SofaScore
It was also a historic win for the host. Canada achieved it at home, in front of 52,497 spectators, with Alphonso Davies again on the bench and with an attack that worked from the beginning.
Taste It had a promising start, in the first minute, with an arrival from Edmilson Junior that ended with a deflected shot. It was practically the only thing Julen Lopetegui’s team could do. From there, the game was Canada’s. They pressed high, recovered quickly, charged the game from the sides and found in Tajon Buchanan a constant threat against an overwhelmed Qatari defense.
The first serious warning came in the 5th minute, with a hard shot from Jonathan David rejected by Mahmoud Abunada. It was the advance of 1-0. In the 15th minute, Ali Ahmed took a corner, David tested the Qatari goalkeeper again and Larin, attentive to the rebound, pushed the ball into the net. The forward, substitute and scorer against Bosnia, justified his starting role with another decisive goal.
The goal did not relax Canada. It reinforced it. Buchanan insisted on the right, Ahmed on the left and Taste He became increasingly distant from Maxime Crépeau. In the 28th minute, a renewed action in Buchanan’s sector ended with a loose ball on the edge. Jonathan David recognized it and executed with precision to make it 2-0.
The match broke down definitively shortly after. In the 30th minute, Koné placed a pass to Buchanan, who ran into the box and was brought down by Homam Ahmed. The Chilean referee Cristián Garay marked a penalty in the first instance, but the revision confirmed that the foul had been outside the area. The consequence was worse for Qatar: a straight red card for Homam Ahmed and a foul on the edge of the area.
Ali Ahmed shot high, but Canada He was already playing with a numerical and emotional advantage. Buchanan was close to scoring the third for Canada, but the defense prevented it almost on the line. The 3-0 came in added time in the first half. Larin headed in, Abunada made a great save, but David appeared again to score an empty goal.
Rest only confirms the superiority Canadian. The statistics of the first half explained the game: 67% possession, 14 shots, eight on goal and four great chances, compared to only two shots and none on goal for Qatar.
The second half began with more changes than reaction. Marsch retired Derek Cornelius, cautioned, by Moise Bombito. Lopetegui moved the bench with Ahmed Fathy and Mohamed Mannai, but Qatar continued to sink in their area.
The night turned dark in the 50th minute. Madibo came on hard on Koné. Garay showed yellow in the first instance, but the VAR lifted the sanction direct red. The Canadian midfielder was left lying, surrounded by the Canadian bench to protect him from the cameras.
Meanwhile, some players from both teams clashed and there were even more than words between Marsch and Lopetegui. Finally Kone He left the field on a stretcher, applauded by the public. Shortly after he was transferred to a hospital of Vancouver where the extent of the injury to his left leg was evaluated.
Nathan Saliba, Koné’s substitute, took a free kick from the front in the 63rd minute that touched the right post and entered Abunada’s goal. The midfielder ran to the bench, grabbed Koné’s shirt and kissed it. It was the most emotional moment of the night.
Qatar, with nine players, no longer had the capacity to leave. Canada He chained corners, kept Crépeau almost in the opponent’s half to collect clearances and continued looking for more goals. The 5-0 came in the 74th minute, when a shot by Jacob Shaffelburg ended up deflected by Mohamed Mannai into his own goal.
The sixth, already at 90+2, baked on Jonathan David’s night. The Canadian forward closed his hat trick with another goal in added time and rounded off Canada’s biggest victory in a World .
Once the match was over, there was a new brawl involving coaches and players from both teams. Lopetegui had to intervene to send his team to the locker room and avoid older males.
Canada, which entered the tournament with six defeats in six games between Mexico 1986 and Qatar 2022, already has its first point, its first victory and its first win. All in less than a week. Qatar, on the other hand, went from a hopeful draw against Switzerland to a severe defeat, conditioned by two expulsions and the inability to contain the energy of an unleashed host.
– Technical sheet:
6. Canada: Maxime Crépeau; Alistair Johnston, Luc De Fougerolles (Jacob Shaffelburg, d.71), Derek Cornelius (Moise Bombito, d.46), Richie Laryea; Esteban Eustáquio, Ismael Koné (Nathan Saliba, d.55); Tajon Buchanan (Niko Sigur, m.83), Ali Ahmed (Tanitoluwa Oluwaseyi, m.72); Cyle Larin and Jonathan David.
0. Qatar: Mahmoud Abunada; Pedro Miguel, Boualem Khoukhi, Homam Ahmed, Ayoub Aloui; Issa Laye, Jassem Gaber (Mohamed Manai, d.46), Assim Madibo; Edmilson Junior (Ahmed Fathy, m.46; Lucas Mendes, m.87), Akram Afif (Alhashmi Alhussein, m.59) and Yusuf Abdurisag (Sultan Albrake, m.40).
Goals: 1-0, m.15: Cyle Larin. 2-0, m.28: Jonathan David. 3-0, m.45+2: Jonathan David. 4-0, m.63: Nathan Saliba. 5-0, m.74: Mohammad Al Mannai, own goal. 6-0, m.90+2: Jonathan David.
Referee: Cristian Garay (CHI). He sent off the Qataris Homam Ahmed, m.30, and Assim Madibo, m.53, with a direct red card, after a VAR review. He admonished the Canadian Derek Cornelius and the Qatari Ahmed Fathy.
Incidents: Match on the second day of Group B of the 2026 World Cup played at BC Place in Vancouver before 52,497 spectators. Canadian midfielder Ismael Koné was taken off on a stretcher in the second half after a tough challenge by Assim Madibo and transferred to a Vancouver hospital. EFE
