News— 4 min read
In front of a deafening, red-clad BC Place crowd, Canada won their first ever men's World Cup match — and they did it in the most emphatic way possible. A 6-0 demolition of Qatar, capped by a Jonathan David hat-trick, sent the host nation into delirium and onto the brink of the knockout rounds.
Cyle Larin, who had scored as a substitute in Canada's opening draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina, opened the scoring in the 16th minute, converting after David's long volley rebounded off the Qatari goalkeeper's chest. David then took over. He doubled the lead in the 29th minute with a stunning volley, added a second just before half-time, and completed his hat-trick deep into stoppage time.
The individual numbers are extraordinary. David became the first Canadian player to ever score a World Cup hat-trick, and only the second player from outside Europe or South America to do so at a men's World Cup — after the USA's Bert Patenaude managed it against Paraguay in the very first tournament in 1930. He is also the first player to score a hat-trick for a World Cup host nation since England's Geoff Hurst in the 1966 final. The display extended his all-time Canada scoring record to 41 goals.
Qatar's afternoon fell apart in the second half. Already reduced to 10 men before the break for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity, they were reduced to nine after a reckless challenge on Canada's Ismael Kone, who appeared to suffer a serious leg injury and had to be carried off. Nathan Saliba came on and scored Canada's fourth, holding up Kone's jersey in tribute. Jacob Shaffelburg added a fifth before David's late third sealed the rout.
The 6-0 scoreline equals the record victory margin for a host nation, matching Italy in 1934, Brazil in 1950 and Argentina in 1978. "No Canadian will forget this day," coach Jesse Marsch said. Canada now need only a draw against Switzerland in their final group game to secure top spot in Group B.