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🎥 David hat-trick, Koné injured 😢 Canada 🌪️ Mexico already through!
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- 🎥 David hat-trick, Koné injured 😢 Canada 🌪️ Mexico already through!
🎥 David hat-trick, Koné injured 😢 Canada 🌪️ Mexico already through!
The night of the 2026 World Cup delivers two major verdicts. Canada claim the first World Cup win in their history by crushing Qatar , while Mexico become the first national team to qualify for the round of 32 thanks to their win over South Korea . The standout stars are Jonathan David and Luis Romo , but the images destined to linger are also those of Ismaël Koné 's terrible injury and South Korean goalkeeper Kim Seung-Gyu 's shocking howler.
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Canada-Qatar 6-0
A perfect night only in part for Jesse Marsch's Canada. After the 1-1 draw in their opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Canadians thrash Qatar 6-0 in front of the Vancouver crowd and secure the first World Cup win in their history. The result sends them to the top of Group B and leaves them needing only a draw against Switzerland in the final matchday to qualify.
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Leading the hosts is a rampant Jonathan David. The Juventus striker bags a hat-trick, reaches 42 goals in 79 appearances for the national team, and draws level at the top of the tournament scoring charts. First he helps create the 1-0 scored by Cyle Larin , then he makes it 2-0 with a right-footed volley, and in the second half he completes his show with two more goals. It is a historic night for him: he is only the second Juventus player to score a hat-trick at a World Cup after Paolo Rossi, and the first forward playing for an Italian club to score a World Cup hat-trick in the 21st century. The last Serie A player to score a World Cup hat-trick was Gabriel Omar Batistuta at USA 1994.
The match, already tilted by Homam Ahmed 's first-half red card, changes completely in the 50th minute. Madibo flies into a brutal challenge on Ismaël Koné and causes one of the most dramatic scenes of this World Cup. The Sassuolo midfielder stays on the ground as his teammates cry and everyone looks on in shock, while the Qatari is sent off after a VAR review, leaving his team down to nine men.
The updates that later came from Canada confirmed the worst fears: Koné suffered fractures to both his tibia and fibula, has already been admitted to hospital, and will have to undergo surgery. His World Cup is over, and he could be sidelined for between four and five months. Deeply shaken by what happened, Madibo went to the Canadian dressing room to personally apologize to the player.
After the dramatic incident came Saliba 's goal, dedicated to Koné as he held up his shirt, then an own goal by Al Manai, and finally another strike from David to make it 6-0.
Mexico-Canada 1-0
If Canada are celebrating their first win, Mexico are already celebrating qualification. In Guadalajara, a 1-0 win over South Korea is enough to make them the first national team to book a place in the 2026 World Cup round of 32 and secure top spot in Group A.
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The match is decided by an incident as decisive as it is astonishing. In the 50th minute, from an apparently harmless ball in the box, South Korean goalkeeper Kim Seung-Gyu completely miscues his attempt to come out, loses control of the ball after colliding with a teammate, and leaves the goal wide open for Luis Romo, who taps home from close range to make it 1-0. A huge blunder that decides the match and, in effect, sends Mexico through.
South Korea try to respond late on, but they are denied by goalkeeper Raúl Rangel , who comes up with several key saves to preserve the lead. At the final whistle, the Mexican celebrations can begin: six points from two matches, top spot in the group guaranteed, and qualification already secured with a game to spare.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.
