Kone stretchered off with serious leg injury as Qatar finish with nine men against Canada

Canada midfielder Ismael Kone was stretchered off with a serious leg injury during his side’s Group B World Cup match against Qatar at BC Place in Vancouver, a game that ended with the visitors reduced to nine men.

Kone was hurt shortly after half-time, by which point Canada already led by three goals against a Qatar side already playing with 10 men. The challenge from Qatar’s Assim Madibo was initially punished with a yellow card, but VAR upgraded the decision to a straight red after reviewing the severity of the contact.

Players from both sides formed a protective ring around Kone as medical personnel treated him on the pitch. The delay lasted approximately five minutes before he was stabilised and wheeled away on a stretcher, breathing through oxygen provided by emergency first responders. As he was taken from the field, Kone waved to supporters in the stadium.

Canada forward Jonathan David was visibly distressed during the stoppage, brought to tears as his teammates gathered before play resumed. The jubilant atmosphere that had built inside BC Place, with Canada on course for their first-ever World Cup Finals victory, gave way to a more subdued mood given the visible gravity of Kone’s situation.

Qatar had already been reduced to 10 men in the first half when Homam Elamim was dismissed for a last-man challenge. Madibo’s red card left Julen Lopetegui’s side with nine players for the remainder of the match.

The 24-year-old Sassuolo midfielder, formerly of Watford and Rennes, is expected to miss the rest of Canada’s tournament.