Serious injury Ismaël Koné overshadows Canadian 6-0 win over Qatar: 'We are going to do it for him'

VANCOUVER — On what should have been the biggest day in the history of Canadian men's soccer, a heavy shadow hung over BC Place. Canada defeated Qatar 6-0 to celebrate its first-ever World Cup victory, but the joy was extinguished by a serious injury to Ismaël Koné early in the second half after a hard foul by midfielder Assim Madibo.

The stadium, deafening until then, fell silent when it became clear what had happened. Teammates and the Canadian bench, who saw the incident up close, reacted in shock. “You could hear the bone breaking,” said national coach Jesse Marsch afterwards. Koné was taken to hospital and is preparing for surgery. Marsch left the stadium immediately after the press conference to be with Koné and his family. A team barbecue is planned for Friday; According to Marsch, Koné will be in everyone's thoughts.

On the field the fear turned into emotion. Richie Laryea sought redress from Madibo and brief skirmishes broke out on the grass and between the benches. Koné left the field on a stretcher, gave the crowd a thumbs up and waved as his leg was stabilized. Marsch and Koné shared another tight hug; the 24-year-old midfielder tried to calm the unrest in the stadium with gestures of resilience.

Ten minutes after the restart, Nathan Saliba shot beautifully from a free kick. The celebration remained subdued until a staff member handed him a shirt: Koné's number 8. Saliba held it up — an image that already symbolizes this tournament. “(Koné) means everything to this team,” forward Jonathan David said. "Ask any player and you'll get the same answer. We love him very much."


Defender Moïse Bombito, who suffered a broken leg on October 5 and was now making his first official minutes again, was visibly affected. “Ishmael is an incredible person, we will miss him enormously. We have to make him proud,” he said afterwards.

Madibo received a red card for the charge on Koné, Qatar's second exclusion in this match, and visited the Canadian in the catacombs to apologize before Koné went to hospital. Marsch did not blame him for the intention: “I don't think he wanted such a horrific situation.” The Qatari national coach also emphasized that it was an accident.

This did not stop the cold between the two banks. Marsch was annoyed by the fierce protests of the Qatari staff towards the referee, who, according to them, wrongly drew red. “I don't understand why their whole bench is trying to start a fight,” he said. After the final whistle, the handshake between the coaches was anything but cordial and emotions briefly flared again.

Sports can be hard; Koné's injury proves that. However, Canada must continue. The last group match against Switzerland awaits in Vancouver on Wednesday. A draw is enough to win the group and stay in BC Place. Marsch indicated that there is no one-for-one replacement for Koné, but striker Cyle Larin summed up the mood in the group: “We did this for Koné.” Canada made history with its first World Cup victory and now has the chance to make even more history — with Koné in mind and heart.

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