9 hours ago
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David with a brace
©IMAGO
The Canadian men’s national team has secured its first-ever win at the World Cup. In front of 52,497 spectators at BC Place, Canada beat Qatar 6-0 thanks to goals by Cyle Larin (16’), Jonathan David (30’ & 45+3’, 90+2'), Nathan-Dylan Saliba (63’), and an own goal by Mohamed Manai (75’). It was the biggest win for a Concacaf nation at the World Cup. The previous record was held by Mexico, which beat El Salvador 4-0 in 1970. It is also the biggest win by a host nation since Argentina beat Peru 6-0 at the 1978 World Cup.
It was also an important result for Canada’s biggest stars, David and Alphonso Davies. David was heavily criticized for his performance against Bosnia. Canada’s record goalscorer has been struggling, scoring just twice in the last ten games for his country. The pressure was, therefore, on the Juventus forward to come good in what was a must-win game for Canada. David did just that with a brace in the first half. It now means that David is once again averaging over 0.5 goals per game for Canada.
As for Davies, head coach Jesse Marsch stated before the game that the Bayern Munich star would be available for selection. While Davies was on the bench, his presence was really a ‘break glass in the emergency’. But with Canada cruising, the Canada captain wasn’t needed tonight, buying him time to further regain fitness and hopefully be available in the knockout stages. Indeed, it is a development that will also be seen positively back in Munich, where Bayern followed Davies’ progress closely.
Canada set to advance – But lose Ismaël Koné to shock injury
One injured player did manage to come on: Moïse Bombito. Reports had him already ruled out of the World Cup, but Marsch kept believing in the Nice defender, and Bombito made his World Cup debut in the second half. But all the positives aside, there was also one negative. Ten minutes into the second half, Ismaël Koné was fouled by Assim Madibo just across the halfway line. The Sassuolo midfielder, who was the man of the match against Bosnia, suffered what looked like a serious leg injury.
In Koné's stead, Saliba came on and scored a stunning freekick. The RSC Anderlecht player is another talented midfielder and is now the number-one candidate to fill the hole left by the injured Koné. Those are things Marsch will have to worry about in the coming days as he prepares his side for a difficult clash against the Swiss. The result means that Canada are now in a strong position to not just qualify out of Group B but win it with a draw on the final matchday. The Swiss beat Bosnia 4-1 earlier today, Canada are ensured a top three spot and should at the very least qualify as one of the best third-placed teams.
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