Kone breaks leg in Canada's 6-0 World Cup rout of Qatar as Madibo sees red

Canadian midfielder Ismael Kone broke his left leg during Canada’s 6-0 World Cup win over Qatar in Vancouver, a serious injury that overshadowed an otherwise dominant performance from Jesse Marsch’s side.

Kone was challenged by Qatar’s Assim Madibo in the 50th minute in a foul that drew an immediate reaction of shock from the nearest players, who could see the extent of the damage. Medics carried Kone off on a stretcher and administered oxygen, though the 24-year-old gave a thumbs up to the crowd as he was taken from the field to applause from the stands. Madibo was initially shown a yellow card by referee Cristian Marcelo Garay Reyes before a VAR review resulted in a red card.

Minutes after Kone was stretchered off, midfielder Nathan Saliba lifted his shirt in tribute to his teammate after scoring Canada’s fourth goal. The match ended on a further sour note when both benches became involved in a touchline skirmish, an incident that appeared to stem from a tense handshake between head coaches Marsch and Qatar’s Julien Lopetegui.

Marsch was candid about the scale of the loss after the final whistle. “Ismael is such a great kid, he’s imperfect but that is why we love him,” the Canada coach said. “He can do things that no other player can do. He embodies a lot of what this team is. He was our best player against Bosnia. He is a huge loss for us. Our hearts are with him, but that kid has a huge future.”

Centre-back Moise Bombito echoed the sentiment: “Ismael’s injury is a big loss for us to be sure. He is an unbelievable human being, he will be missed a lot. We just have to make him proud.”

Kone, who plays for Serie A side Sassuolo, had been the subject of significant transfer speculation in recent months, with several major European clubs reported to be monitoring the midfielder. The injury came during his first World Cup appearance, adding a painful dimension to what should have been a landmark occasion in his career.