VANCOUVER — Jonathan David scored a hat-trick as Canada recorded its first-ever FIFA World Cup victory in emphatic fashion, crushing nine-man Qatar 6-0 on Thursday to move to the brink of the knockout stage.
The Lille striker delivered a clinical performance at BC Place, becoming only the second player to score a hat-trick at the tournament after Argentina captain Lionel Messi.
Canada’s victory was its first in World Cup history after previously failing to win a match in its appearances in 1986 and 2022.
The Canadians dominated from start to finish and took full advantage of two Qatar red cards in a chaotic Group B encounter witnessed by a crowd of 52,497, including Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
Cyle Larin opened the scoring in the 16th minute after Qatar goalkeeper Mahmoud Abunada parried David’s volley into his path. Larin reacted quickest to convert the rebound and score his second goal of the tournament.
David doubled Canada’s lead in the 29th minute with a well-taken volley before Qatar’s problems deepened four minutes later.
Homan Ahmed was initially shown a yellow card for a challenge on Tajon Buchanan, but following a VAR review the punishment was upgraded to a red card, reducing Qatar to 10 men.
Canada capitalized immediately. Deep into first-half stoppage time, David bundled home his second goal of the match after a scramble in front of goal, sending the hosts into halftime with a commanding 3-0 advantage.
The match took a concerning turn early in the second half when Canada midfielder Ismaël Koné suffered a serious-looking lower-leg injury following a challenge from Assim Madibo.
Koné was stretchered from the field, and Madibo was shown a straight red card, leaving Qatar with only nine players.
Canada continued to pile on the pressure. Substitute Nathan Saliba scored from a free kick in the 64th minute before Qatar defender Mohamed Manai inadvertently turned the ball into his own net in the 75th minute.
David completed his hat-trick in stoppage time to cap a memorable night for the Canadians.
The six-goal outburst tripled Canada’s total number of goals scored across all World Cup tournaments. Before Thursday, Canada had scored only two goals in World Cup history — one by Alphonso Davies in 2022 and one by Larin in the opening-round draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Canada captain Alphonso Davies and defender Moïse Bombito were both available after recovering from injuries but were not required as Canada cruised to victory.
The result leaves Canada in a commanding position in Group B and on the verge of reaching the knockout stage for the first time.
For Qatar, the defeat was another setback in its search for a first World Cup victory. The 2022 hosts had earned a surprise 1-1 draw against Switzerland in their opening match but were overwhelmed by Canada’s pace and attacking quality.
Earlier in the day, Switzerland defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina 4-1, tightening the battle for qualification from Group B.
Source: Saudi Gazette