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Ecstasy and Agony for Canada in World Cup Win over Qatar
By With Switzerland having dispatched a short-handed Bosnia and Herzegovina 4-1 earlier in the pressure was on Canada to perform.
They did not disappoint.
Defeating Qatar 6-0 in Vancouver to draw level with Switzerland at the top of Group B.
BC Place (Stadium) was packed to the gills, the promised sea of red in effect with just a smattering of Qatari all white behind on the goals. There was a seriousness to the way Canada walked out for the anthems. The players singing the anthem in Toronto had looked a little subdued compared to some of the belting out one used to see. That was again the case on Thursday, but it seemed different. A few gave that dude with a maple leaf painted on his face a run for his money, but others already had game faces plastered on.
Qatar clearly got the memo that Canada wanted to start quickly launching an attack of their own in the opening minute, had Edmilson Junior made clean contact there might have been trouble. As it was it was perhaps the only bright spark of the first half for the Qataris.
Tajon Buchanan was lively on the right, playing in an early ball that Jonathan David couldn’t settle. Richie Laryea the same on the left, surging into the box, but his claims for a penalty kick would be denied. The pace was breakneck – it couldn’t last, or could it.
In the sixth minute David smashed a volley on frame that needed a parry from Mahmud Abunada in the Qatari goal. The four-man backline quickly became six as Canada piled on the pressure. The time wasting began in the ten minutes.
It was of little help.
Canada would score in the 16th minute, Cyle Larin, back in the starting lineup after his dynamic role off the bench against Bosnia. Alistair Johnston drove up the right-side of the box and picked out David with a cut-back. His volley was denied, but Larin was on hand to pounce on the loose ball and force it over the line. A second goal in two games, Larin’s fingers were in his ears again, once more in celebration.
Then it was Jonathan David’s turn to silence his critics, picking out the bottom corner with a rocket of a right-footed volley in the 29th minute, beating the keeper to the short side after Buchanan’s deflected shot fell to him above the right post. David left it to his teammates to make statements, Ismaël Koné’s talking hand gestures mimicking the doubters, but there was a sense of relief on the usually unreadable David’s face.
It went from bad to worse to Qatar. A penalty awarded when Homan Elamin brought down Buchanan as he surged in behind was transfigured after VAR into a free-kick and a red card, the defender’s night was over and Qatar were down to 10.
Despite the commentators doing their best to jinx it (enough of that Luke and Stevie), Canada would add a third in stoppage-time with David this time the quickest to react to a rebound, turning in an effort from Larin after Buchanan dropped off to Johnston and he hung an inviting ball up at the back-post.
45 minutes of football the nation will long remember.
Moïse Bombito came on at half-time for Derek Cornelius, who picked up an early yellow card. They were his first minutes of this World Cup, a positive sign for Canada.
What came next was heartbreaking. It is unclear what happened exactly, a tackle came in from Assim Madibo, there was a sound, Koné’s face was stunned, he knew it was bad. The players reactions spoke volumes.
Horrible scenes. Koné gave a thumbs up as he was stretchered off the field, but his World Cup is over. Madibo’s initial yellow was upgraded to a red card and Qatar were down to nine men. It was a terrible incident on what should have been a day of celebration.
Nathan Saliba, on for Koné, scored Canada’s fourth in the 64th minute, bending a right-footed free kick around the wall and in off the right post. He honoured his former CF Montréal teammate by making an ‘8’ with his hands before holding up a spare ‘Koné 8’ jersey near the sidelines.
Jacob Shaffleburg would provide the impetus for another in the 75th minute. Fresh off the bench, he reacted quickly to a blocked Buchanan shot, sending a volley towards goal, Mohamed Al Mannai could only slice it into his own net – it was quickly ruled an own goal.
Marsch wisely decided not to bring Alphonso Davies into this one.
The was a large cheer in the 87th minute as Qatar made a sub. Christine Sinclair was shown on the big screen. The television cameras quickly found her, shocked, trying to figure out what the fuss was all about. Classic.
Jonathan David would complete his hat-trick in the 92nd minute, turning quickly when a Saliba shot struck him, beating the goalkeeper with a right-footer. Levelling Leo Messi for the lead in the golden boot race, becoming the first player from Concacaf to achieve the feat at a World Cup since 1930, the first player from a host nation since 1966 when England’s Geoff Hurst did it.
More history for Canada, a first-ever win at the World Cup, registering the largest ever win at the World Cup by a Concacaf side, but at what cost. This is side that has dealt with and overcome more than their fair share of injuries. Maxime Crépeau missing the 2022 edition with a broken leg, Buchanan’s broken leg at Copa América, the ongoing list of injuries that led into this year’s rendition.
With all four teams having played twice, the group has stratified. Switzerland with four points and a plus-three goal differential, bettered only by Canada on the same with a plus-six after dismantling Qatar. A draw on the final day would see Canada top the group standings.
Bosnia and Qatar both sit on a single point with goal-differences of minus-three and minus-six, respectively.
Canada will play their final group stage match on Wednesday against Switzerland in Vancouver at 3 pm ET. Bosnia and Herzegovina will simultaneously square off against Qatar in Seattle as Group B comes to conclusion.
