Canadian midfielder Ismaël Koné had to be stretchered off during Canada’s victory over Qatar at the World Cup after sustaining a severe leg injury.
The injury occurred when Koné was tackled by Qatar’s Assim Madibo just ten minutes into the second half. Koné immediately showed signs of distress, grasping his left leg, prompting the athletic trainers to rush to his aid. The Canadian medical team quickly brought out a stretcher, surrounded by his teammates as he was treated.
As he was being taken off, Koné managed to wave at the crowd with his left leg in an air cast, while several players displayed their emotions regarding the incident.
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Madibo, visibly distraught during the treatment of Koné, was shown a yellow card for the tackle, which was later upgraded to a red card after further review. The broadcast refrained from replaying the tackle, hinting at the injury’s severity.
(Video of the incident can be found here, viewer discretion advised.)
In a display of sportsmanship, Canadian forward Tajon Buchanan comforted Madibo and his teammates amidst the incident.
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Qatar had already been reduced to ten men earlier in the match following a red card issued to Homam Ahmed in the 33rd minute. This additional red card left the team finishing the game with just nine players.
Replacing Koné was Nathan Saliba, who scored just five minutes after coming on and celebrated by lifting Koné’s jersey over his head.
Canada went on to defeat Qatar 6-0, achieving Canada’s first-ever World Cup win. However, the aftermath of Koné’s injury left an impact, leading to some scrapping between the teams after the game, with coaches Jesse Marsch and Julien Lopetegui notably exchanging unfriendly gestures during their handshake.
In the post-match press conference, Marsch appeared to confirm that Koné sustained a broken leg, stating he “could hear the bone snap,” as reported by The Athletic’s Tom Bogert. He also mentioned that Koné was transported to a local hospital in Vancouver for surgery, according to The Associated Press.
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“Everyone was devastated when it happened, but we knew we had to stay focused; Ismaël would have wanted us to see this through,” Marsch stated to the AP. “Our thoughts are with him right now, but we’re proud of our performance.”