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Canada head coach Jesse Marsch and his side celebrated a commanding 6-0 victory over Qatar in their second Group B fixture at this summer’s FIFA World Cup, marking the nation’s first-ever triumph at the tournament finals.

The match took a distressing turn when Canada midfielder Ismaël Kone, who plays for Sassuolo, sustained a severe leg injury following a reckless tackle by Qatar’s Assim Madibo. The foul led to a lengthy stoppage as players formed a protective circle around Kone while he received medical attention on the pitch. The initial yellow card shown to Madibo was upgraded to a red card after a VAR review, leaving Qatar with nine men following the earlier dismissal of Homam Elamin.

The incident prompted tension between the two benches, with staff members from both Canada and Qatar needing to be separated as emotions ran high. After the final whistle, Marsch and Qatar head coach Julen Lopetegui were involved in a heated exchange on the touchline. Lopetegui appeared to be explaining his perspective, but Marsch, visibly frustrated, threw his arms up before walking away and later declined to discuss his counterpart during the post-match press conference.

“I’m not wasting a single second talking about that,” Marsch told reporters, describing the reaction from the Qatar bench as “strange behaviour” after they argued that Madibo should not have been sent off.

Following the match, Marsch revealed that the Qatar player had sought out Kone to apologise. “The player apologised to Ismaël,” Marsch explained. “He came into the dressing room. The team let him know that happened.”

The Canada squad, along with their manager, later visited Kone at a nearby hospital in Vancouver, where the 24-year-old is set to undergo surgery for his leg injury.

With four points from their first two Group B matches, Canada are now on course to progress to the Round of 32. Their final group game will take place against Switzerland next Wednesday, June 24.