Canada's managed their first FIFA World Cup victory ever, but the occassion was overshadowed by a gruesome injury to one of their key players -- midfielder Ismael Kone.
Sassuolo's Kone injured his left leg when Qatar midfielder Assim Madibo tackled him from behind in the second half, sending the 24-year-old to the ground. Kone grimaced and players rushed to his aid, calling for help from the sidelines.
Madibo was sent off for the tackle as Canadians surrounded their injured teammate while he was being treated on the field.
"I saw his leg. I saw that something wasn't right," Canada captain Stephen Eustaquio said. He was one of the first players to reach Kone.
Kone was whisked to a local hospital where he was preparing for surgery while surrounded by family, Canada coach Jesse Marsch said. He said the injury happened right in front of the bench, and you could hear the "bones snap."
"Everybody was crushed when it happened, but we had to find a way to stay focused; we knew that Ismael wanted us to finish the job," Marsch said. "There's a lot of thoughts that go through our heads right now, we're all thinking about him, but we're all very proud of what we are."
Marsch added that Madibo personally apologised to Kone.
Madibo's red card left Qatar to play with nine men, after teammate Homam Ahmed had been sent off in the first half.
Canada striker Jonathan David, who scored a hat-trick, questioned the need for the tackle on Kone.
"If there's a play where you cannot win the ball, there's no point," he said. "It's just to hurt people."
The details of Kone's injury have not yet been disclosed. His lower left leg looked visibly broken in photos after the incident.
"We're going to miss (Kone)," Eustaquio said. "He has that X-factor that our team really needs."
