Ismael Kone injury update as Qatar player Assim Madibo visits Canada midfielder following leg break
Canada midfielder Ismael Kone suffered an appalling injury during his side's 6-0 victory over Qatar
Ismael Kone will have surgery on the awful double leg injury he suffered during Canada's World Cup victory over Qatar.
The midfielder had be taken from the field on a stretcher after fracturing both his tibia and fibula under a challenge from Ghana's Assim Madibo.
Madibo was shown a red card for the foul as emotions ran high with the extent of Kone's injury clear for all to see.
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Ismael Kone to have surgery on double leg fracture
Canada boss Jesse Marsch came onto the field to embrace and console Kone after he was put onto a stretcher.
Marsch confirmed after the game that Madibo had visited Kone in the dressing room to apologise before he was taken to hospital in Vancouver, accompanied by his mother, adding that Kone was set to have surgery.
The incident occured in the 53rd minute of the game with Qatar already down to ten men following Homam Ahmed's dismissal in the first half.
Kone was given oxygen and waved to acknowledge the home crowd's support as he was taken from the field.
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Canada went on to double their lead to claim a 6-0 victory - their first-ever win at a world cup.
Their fourth goal was scored by Nathan Saliba, who held up a shirt bearing Kone's name and number in an emotional celebration.
Canada skipper Stephen Eustaquio said after the game: "I saw his leg. I saw that something wasn’t right. We’re going to miss him - he has that Xfactor that our team really needs."
Jonathan David, who scored a hat-trick, blasted Madibo for making the tackle, saying: “If there’s a play where you cannot win the ball, there’s no point. It’s just to hurt people.”
Marsch added: "Ismael is such a great kid. He's so imperfect, but that's why you love him. 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."
Sassuolo midfielder Kone has been a regular for his country since 2022 and has 42 caps to his name.
Canada will take on Switzerland in their final group game on Wednesday, with a point for either side guaranteed to qualify them for the knockout stage.
Steven Chicken has been working as a football writer since 2009, taking in stints with Football365 and the Huddersfield Examiner. Steven still covers Huddersfield Town home and away for his own publication, WeAreTerriers.com. Steven is a two-time nominee for Regional Journalist of the Year at the prestigious British Sports Journalism Awards, making the shortlist in 2020 and 2023.
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