Cone's terrible injury overshadowed Canada's historic victory

After securing their first-ever World Cup victory over Katarun, Team Canada was left devastated by a serious injury to its leader. Midfielder Ismael Kone, 24, suffered a fractured left leg after a hard tackle from behind by Qatari player Assim Madibo. The incident, which happened in the second half right in front of the bench of the Canadian national team, caused an instant shock to everyone present. The players who were nearby immediately started calling medics, and the moment of injury was so loud that it was heard outside the field. "I saw his leg. I saw that something was wrong," Canadian national team captain Stephen Eustaquio, who was one of the first to run up to Kone, recalls with horror. Team head coach Jesse Marsh compared the incident to Tajon Buchanan's gruesome injury in 2024: "It happened right in front of our bench. We could all hear it. I knew right away that it was... Everyone is a little shocked by this whole experience because of the nature of the injury. Ismael is a big part of the heart of our team. It's a huge loss for us," the specialist shared. Kone is currently in the hospital with his family and is preparing for a complex operation. After a VAR review, Assim Madibo received a straight red card for dangerous play. However, the very nature of the foul drew sharp condemnation from the Canadian players. Striker Jonathan David, who scored a hat-trick in the same match, was as frank as possible about the opponent's actions: "If there's a draw where you can't win the ball, there's no point in it. It's just to hurt people," said the scorer. Emotions on the field turned into a conflict after the final whistle. There was a scuffle between the bench and Marsh had a heated argument with Qatar coach Julen Lopetegui. Commenting on this episode, Jesse Marsh pointed out a striking contrast in the behavior of the Qataris: Madibo personally went into Canada's locker room and apologized to Kone. According to Marsh, the player hardly intended to break his leg on purpose, and the coach does not blame him. Marsh harshly criticized Qatar's bench: "I don't understand the reaction of their entire bench, which tried to start a fight over a red card, when a clear foul just happened that broke a player's leg. This is strange behavior," the manager emphasized. Kone, when he was carried out on a stretcher to the cheers of the stands, found the strength to wave to the fans. According to the coach, he tried to calm the team, showing his incredible character. Teammates dedicated the end of the match to Ismael. Nathan Saliba, who came on as a substitute for the injured Kone, celebrated his goal by raising his team-mate's shirt above his head. "He's going to be sorely missed. He's got that X-factor that our team really needs," added Steven Eustaquio. After two rounds, Canada together with the Swiss leads the quartet B. In the decisive round, the hosts of the World Cup will play for the first place with the European team. The match is scheduled for June 24, starting at 22:00