After 40 years of waiting, Canada’s men finally have their World Cup moment and they delivered it in the most emphatic fashion. Jonathan David’s stunning hat-trick led a comprehensive 6-0 demolition of a nine-man Qatar at a deafening, sold-out BC Place in Vancouver on Thursday, handing the co-hosts their first ever win in men’s World Cup history and sending Group B on its head in the most spectacular of fashions.It was total, utter domination. Canada finished with 33 shots to Qatar’s two, an expected goals tally of 4.54 to 0.18, and a scoreline that doubles as the biggest World Cup victory by a CONCACAF nation in history. The only shadow over an otherwise perfect evening was the sight of midfielder Ismaël Koné being stretchered off in the second half with what appeared to be a serious leg fracture – a moment that hushed the stadium and cast a cloud over the celebrations.Veteran striker Cyle Larin, 31, got the party started in the 16th minute. David’s shot was parried by goalkeeper Mahmoud Abunada into a dangerous area, and Larin pounced with predatory instinct to slide home his second goal of the tournament. David then took centre stage, finding the bottom corner with a sumptuous volley in the 28th minute before poking home acrobatically from close range just before the break to give Canada a 3-0 half-time cushion, sending 52,000 red-clad fans inside BC Place into a standing ovation as the whistle blew.Qatar’s afternoon went from bad to catastrophic. Homam Ahmed was dismissed in the 38th minute for hauling down Tajon Buchanan on a clear goal-scoring opportunity, and Assim Madibo followed him down the tunnel in the 47th minute for a reckless lunge that left Koné in a heap on the turf, a challenge that triggered scenes of fury on the Canadian bench.Substitute Nathan Saliba, who came on for the stricken Koné, provided one of the night’s most poignant moments, curling a perfect free-kick off the post and into the net in the 66th minute before sprinting to the touchline and hoisting Koné’s No.8 jersey to the crowd in a spine-tingling tribute. Mohamed Manai’s own goal in the 75th minute added a fifth before David completed his hat-trick with a cool finish deep in stoppage time, claiming the 42nd goal of his extraordinary international career.Canada now sit atop Group B with four points and a goal difference of plus-seven, setting up a blockbuster group finale against Switzerland next Wednesday, a match that will decide who tops the group heading into the knockouts.
