(Courtesy: @canadasoccer & @canmnt/ Instagram)
It was a historic night for Canada on Thursday as the team won their first-ever men’s World Cup match. Team Canada now holds four points through two group-stage matches and are one step closer to the knockout stage.
Playing at B.C. Place in Vancouver, Canada defeated Qatar by a score of 6-0, earning three crucial points in a tightly contested Group B.
The home team opened the scoring with a goal by Cyle Larin at 16 minutes, followed by fan favourite Jonathan David, who kicked the ball into the net at 29 minutes.
David was also the one to score at 48 minutes, bringing the score to 3-0 ahead of halftime.
Central midfielder Nathan Saliba increased Canada’s advantage in the second half, making the score 4-0 at 64 minutes.
But the home team wasn’t done. At 75 minutes, forward Jacob Shaffelburg kicked the ball towards the goal, hitting Qatar’s Mohammed Manai and into the net to score 5-0.
The game’s last goal came at 92 minutes, when David scored his third match goal, and carved the final score at 6–0.
This marks Canada’s first-ever World Cup win, which happened right on Canadian soil.
Thursday’s game also marked the first time since 1966 that a host nation scored a hat-trick, achieved by David.
Ismael Koné suffers injury
Despite the win, Team Canada faced a sad moment in the field, when midfielder Ismael Koné sustained a serious injury early into the game’s second half.
The player appeared to seriously hurt his leg at the 52nd minute mark, after a tackle from Qatar player Assim Madibo.
Following the injury, Koné was carried out of the field to receive medical attention, and Madibo received a red card, leaving Qatar with nine men.
This was Qatar’s second red card, after Homam Ahmed also received one at 33 minutes.
Canada to face Switzerland
The result comes after Canada opened the tournament with a 1-1 draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto, giving the national team valuable momentum heading into its remaining group-stage matches.
With the win, Canada strengthened its position in the group standings and improved its chances of advancing to the knockout round.
The Canadians also received a boost ahead of the match with the return of team captain Alphonso Davies, who was medically cleared to play after recovering from a hamstring injury.
Davies missed Canada’s opening match against Bosnia and Herzegovina after not receiving medical clearance to play.
Canada will now turn its attention to a crucial Group B showdown against Switzerland on June 24 in Vancouver.
Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney gave the team a heartfelt congratulations after the historic game. He expressed his admiration of their achievement, and his pride as the team strongly represented Canada so impressively for the entire world to witness.
“I couldn’t be prouder as a Canadian,” Carney told the team.
