Harrowing scenes unfolded as Canada star Ismael Kone was stretchered off the pitch with what appeared to be a broken leg during his nation’s clash with Qatar. The midfielder acknowledged the crowd with a wave as he was carried along the touchline.
Immediate concern swept through the stadium for the Canadian international as tensions between the two sides began to boil over. Kone’s team-mates reacted furiously towards Qatar’s players, while the player responsible for the challenge, Assim Madibo, looked visibly distraught.
Madibo was dismissed for his tackle as Kone was administered oxygen to help ease the considerable pain he was suffering.
“His leg’s hanging off,” said Canada’s assistant manager to the fourth official before Madibo was shown red. “His leg is broken. His leg is broken, man.”
Canada were able to overcome the incident to record a 6-0 win over their Qatari opponents. Kone’s replacement, Nathan Salt, scored a free-kick before paying tribute to his team-mate.
The goalscorer first formed an ‘8’ with his hands to correspond to Kone’s shirt number before claiming a top bearing the injured star’s name to a rapturous reception from the Canadian crowd.
Jesse Marsch paid tribute to Kone following the March. Offering an emotional response, the Canada boss backed his star to bounce back from the devastating injury.
“He’s so imperfect but that’s why you love him,” he said. “He can do great things and the next moment he loses concentration. He embodies a lot of what the team is. It’s a huge loss for us.
“He’ll be fine, we’ll get him good doctors. He’s got a big future and he’s a big part of everything we’ll do.”
Marsch also praised his players’ reaction to Kone’s injury. The Canada coach was proud of their response.
He said: “I’ve said all along the best resource of this programme is the players. They are incredibly kind and generous but they’re also great players and competitors. “