David's bounce-back performance leads Canada to historic World Cup win |
VANCOUVER — This was one for the history books.
Winless in its previous seven games since making its World Cup debut in 1986, the Canadian men’s team finally earned its first-ever victory in the hallowed competition with an emphatic 6-0 decision over Qatar before a rapturous crowd of 52,497 at BC Place on Thursday.
Jonathan David registered a hat trick, and Cyle Larin and Nathan Saliba also scored for Canada in a dominant display against Qatar, which had two players red-carded in the 33rd and 54th minutes and scored an own goal.
Canada and Switzerland are tied atop Group B with four points apiece, but Canada sits in first based on a superior goal difference (plus-six versus plus-three). Bosnia and Herzegovina and Qatar each have one point. Canada wraps up Group B play on June 24 when it faces Switzerland at BC Place, needing only a draw to win the group.
If Canada finishes first, it will play its round of 32 game in Vancouver (a potential round of 16 contest would also be at BC Place). If Canada advances as a second- or third-place team, it will play all of its knockout games in the United States, losing its home advantage.
While this result doesn’t officially mean Canada has advanced out of Group B, its place in the round of 32 is virtually assured, and it stands a very good chance of staying in Vancouver. So, this was a massive result for the Canadians.
"When I came here, the vision was more than just this World Cup," Canadian coach Jesse Marsch said after the game. "Obviously, a big carrot was the fact that it was a home World Cup, but it was to change the sport in the country; to drive interest, to drive expertise, to educate, and to create a pathway for the future. And to create an identity for what Canadian soccer could be, and you can say and do all the right things, but you need moments like today. You need moments where everybody remembers what happened. No one will forget this, and no Canadian will forget this day."
At the same time, a sombre cloud hangs over the team, leading to muted Canadian celebrations after this historic win.
Qatar’s second red card came when Assim Madibo committed a late tackle from behind on Ismaël Koné early in the second half that sent the midfielder back to the locker room on a stretcher with a suspected broken leg. It’s expected that Koné, one of Canada’s most influential players, will be........