2026 World Cup: Canada's Ismaël Koné stretchered off with potential leg injury vs. Qatar
Yahoo Sports • • sports
Key Points:
- Canadian midfielder Ismaël Koné suffered a severe leg injury during Canada's World Cup match against Qatar after a tackle by Qatar's Assim Madibo, leading to him being stretchered off the field with an air cast on his left leg.
- Madibo was initially given a yellow card for the tackle, but it was upgraded to a red card after review, forcing Qatar to finish the game with nine players following an earlier red card.
- Nathan Saliba replaced Koné and scored shortly after, celebrating by lifting Koné's jersey, while Canadian forward Tajon Buchanan showed sportsmanship by comforting Madibo.
- Canada won the match 6-0, securing their first World Cup victory, but tensions remained high with a scuffle after the final whistle and a chilly handshake between the coaches.
- Canadian coach Jesse Marsch indicated in a postgame press conference that Koné likely suffered a broken leg, describing hearing the bone snap and expressing sympathy for the player.
