Koné’s broken – Canada’s 6-0 victory over Qatar on June 18 delivered a historic first World Cup win at BC Place—but it was immediately eclipsed in the 50th minute when Ismaël Koné suffered a gruesome injury. A yellow card was upgraded after a VAR review, and Qatar’s second re
VANCOUVER — For 45 minutes, the noise at BC Place built into something electric. Then, in a single moment, it all stopped.
In the 50th minute of Canada’s World Cup match against Qatar on Thursday, June 18, Qatar’s Assim Madibo tackled Canada’s Ismaël Koné. The crowd went silent as Koné’s leg was visibly out of place, drawing immediate attention from officials and trainers who rushed to him on the pitch.
“It happened right in front of us,” Canada head coach Jesse Marsch said. “Everyone could hear the bone snap.”
Canada ultimately won 6-0, dominating Qatar, but the historic first World Cup win for Canada was overshadowed by the injury. Players and staff from both teams argued, cried, and consoled each other as they hovered around Koné.
The challenge was first ruled a yellow card for Madibo. A VAR check then determined the tackle was worthy of a red. It was Qatar’s second red card of the match. With that decision, an already depleted Qatar team went from 10 men to nine.
About six minutes after the injury, Koné was subbed off and replaced by Nathan Saliba. Saliba, a 22-year-old midfielder for Anderlecht in Belgium, then changed the temperature of the stadium in the 64th minute.
He scored a right-footed, curling free kick off the post, reigniting the Vancouver crowd. Instead of a traditional celebration, he made an “8” gesture with his hands. Then he ran over to the bench to hold up the injured Koné’s jersey.
Striker Jonathan David, who scored Canada’s first-ever World Cup hat trick in the match, tried to put the emotion into words.
“[Koné] means everything to this team,” David said. “If you ask the same question to any guy on the team, they will tell you the same. He’s someone that we love a lot.”
The mood never fully returned to celebration mode. After the next two goals, Canada’s team was noticeably somber—celebrating minimally as if Koné’s injury stayed in the forefront of every thought.
Captain Stephen Eustaquio captured the tension between the magnitude of the win and the reality of what had just happened.
“It’s unfortunate, obviously. Ismaël is so important to us,” Eustaquio said. “We just have to continue. He’s going to want us to win the next match, and that’s what we’re going to try to do for him.”
Canada’s focus now turns to Wednesday, June 24, when the team faces Switzerland in Vancouver. A draw or win would solidify Canada’s position at the top of their group and put the Canucks in line for a bid to the knockout rounds.
Even with fans celebrating what is being remembered as Canada’s biggest game in the country’s history, Marsch acknowledged that part of the squad will be living in the aftermath.
“We have a family barbecue tomorrow. We’re going to enjoy that. We’re going to enjoy being together,” Marsch said. “I’m sure Ismaël will be on everybody’s minds.”
Canada World Cup Qatar Koné broken leg Assim Madibo VAR red card Jesse Marsch Nathan Saliba Jonathan David Stephen Eustaquio Switzerland June 24 BC Place
That bone snap sound is gonna haunt me.
VAR just makes everything take longer then somebody’s leg gets wrecked anyway. 6-0 is cool but like why does it always get ruined by an injury…
Wait so Qatar got two red cards and Canada still won 6-0? I thought red meant they had to forfeit or something. Also the coach said everyone heard the bone snap like… did TV mic catch it??
I’m sorry but that tackle is straight up dirty. Like VAR upgraded it to red after the fact which is crazy, and then the stadium finally got hype and boom, injury. The part where he scored the free kick after like 10 minutes? That “8” thing threw me off too, like is that a tribute code or what. Anyway I hope Koné is okay because that looked bad.