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Canada midfielder Ismaël Kone was forced off on a stretcher in the second half of his side''s match against Qatar on Thursday (local time) at BC Place in Vancouver after suffering a worrying injury.
The 24-year-old appeared to be seriously hurt following a heavy challenge from Qatar midfielder Assim Madibo. The tackle, made from behind, immediately drew concern on the pitch, with players quickly signalling for medical assistance before surrounding Kone as he received treatment, according to ESPN. After a VAR review of the incident, Madibo was shown a straight red card for dangerous play and was sent off. Qatar were reduced further to nine men after Homam Al Amin had earlier been dismissed in the first half. Kone received applause from the BC Place crowd as he was carefully taken off the field for further assessment. Despite the setback, Canada maintained control of the match. Midfielder Nathan Saliba, who came on as Kone''s replacement in the 57th minute, later added to the moment by lifting Kone''s shirt in celebration after scoring Canada''s fourth goal. The incident slightly overshadowed an otherwise dominant performance from the hosts, who were on track for a significant victory and a strong step forward in their World Cup campaign. Canada delivered a historic performance in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group B match, thrashing Qatar 6-0 to secure their first-ever World Cup victory. Jonathan David starred with a record-breaking hat-trick--the first by a Canadian in World Cup history--while Cyle Larin opened the scoring early. Canada''s dominance continued with goals from Nathan Saliba and an own goal by Qatar, as the visitors were also reduced to 10 men in a one-sided contest. (ANI)
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