Canada Lose Key Midfielder Ismaël Koné to Serious Leg Injury at World Cup

The victory came with mixed feelings for the home side. Assim Madibo had crashed in on Ismaël Kone in the 51th minutes of the game, a challenge that saw the Qatar man red carded after the VAR review.

Ismaël Kone was stretched off the pitch and taken straight to the hospital, as he was not to continue with game. Head Coach Marsch cried that the impact of the injury was audible to be heard from the sidelines.

"It happened right in front of the bench. We could all hear it," said Marsch, who immediately recognised the severity of the injury, a nostalgic feeling for him, haven witness Tajon Buchanan suffer a broken tibia during a training session at ⁠the 2024 Copa America.

Marsch acknowledged Madibo visited the Candian dressing room to apologise to Kone, a gesture the head coach appreciated. While he made excuses for Madibo, he expressed his displeasure for the Qatar bench who wanted to start a fight over the card upgrade of Madibo from yellow to red.

Kone prepares for surgery, and his absence is a big blow to Canada, a team that has picked up 4 points from two games, and positive to advance to the knockouts.

Kone is expected to be out for 4 to 5 weeks, putting an immediate end to the 24 year old’ World Cup dream.

Nathan Saliba who had come on in place of injured Kone, found the back of the net, and dedicated his goal to Kone, by raising high his number 8 jersey, kissing it before making the sign of the cross.

Speaking after the game, hat trick hero Jonathan David, said the rest of the team played with an unsettled mind, and longed for the final whistle while the game lasted.

Marsch told news outlets that, though Canada has a depth that can stand up to fill the position of the Ivory Coast born Kone, he maintained that his absence would be greatly felt by the team.