VANCOUVER — Canada midfielder Ismaël Koné underwent surgery after suffering fractures to his left tibia and fibula during Canada’s 6-0 World Cup victory over Qatar.
The 24-year-old midfielder sustained the serious injury in the 51st minute after a challenge from Qatar’s Assim Madibo during Thursday’s Group B match in Vancouver.
Canada Soccer confirmed on Friday that Koné underwent surgery later that evening.
Madibo received a red card for the challenge and later apologized to Koné in person after the match.
Koné, who recently completed his first season with Italian club Sassuolo, shared an emotional message on social media following the operation.
“You can’t even imagine how grateful I am to everyone who reached out and that has me in their prayers,” Koné wrote on Instagram.
Addressing his teammates, he added: “I wanted you to know that I love you guys from the bottom of my heart and our brotherhood is everything to me. What you guys did yesterday will stay with me forever. I’ll be back very soon and we’ll keep making more memories together.”
The injury cast a shadow over Canada’s historic victory, which secured the country’s first-ever World Cup win and moved the hosts to the brink of qualification for the knockout stage.
Koné was surrounded by concerned teammates as he received treatment on the field before being stretchered off. His replacement, Nathan Saliba, later scored Canada’s fourth goal and held up Koné’s jersey in tribute.
Canada coach Jesse Marsch said after the match that players and staff were devastated by the injury, while captain Stephen Eustáquio described the scene as difficult to witness.
Koné is expected to miss the remainder of the tournament, dealing a significant blow to Canada’s midfield as the team prepares for the knockout stage.
Source: Saudi Gazette