Eustáquio's Canada thrash Lopetegui's Qatar, take big World Cup step | OneFootball

Canada took a decisive step in the early hours of Friday towards qualifying for the next stage of the 2026 World Cup, thrashing Julen Lopetegui’s Qatar 6-0 in a match played in Vancouver.

Jonathan David scored a hat-trick, securing Canada’s first ever World Cup win and putting the co-hosts top of Group B, ahead of Switzerland.

Despite a clearly dominant display, the Canadian national team suffered a significant setback. Ismael Koné went off injured early in the second half, leaving the pitch with a red inflatable boot on his left leg following a very hard challenge from Assim Madibo. The Qatar player was sent off, leaving his team down to ten men.

Shortly after coming on to replace Koné, Nathan Saliba produced one of the moments of the match by converting a direct free-kick that all but sealed the result. The score became even more emphatic with an own goal from Mohamed Manai, before Jonathan David rounded off the scoring in stoppage time by completing his hat-trick with a left-footed strike.

Qatar had already been reduced in numbers in the 34th minute, when Homam Ahmed was sent off for a foul on Tajon Buchanan. Initially, the incident was given as a penalty, but VAR intervention led to the decision being overturned, as the offence took place outside the box.

With this result, Canada and Switzerland both have four points after two matches, but the Canadians sit top of Group B thanks to their superior goal difference.

In the final round of the group stage, Canada will face Switzerland on 24 June in Vancouver, while Qatar will take on Bosnia and Herzegovina in Seattle.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.