By
CONNOR JOYCE and DREW RENNER
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Canada’s historic first World Cup victory was overshadowed by a gruesome injury to midfielder Ismaël Koné.Koné injured his left leg when Qatar midfielder Assim Madibo tackled him from behind in the second half, sending the 24-year-old to the ground. Koné grimaced and players rushed to his aid, calling for help from the sidelines.Madibo was sent off for the tackle on Koné, who was protectively surrounded by his teammates while he was treated on the field before he was stretchered off. “I saw his leg. I saw that something wasn’t right,” Canada captain Stephen Eustáquio said. He was among one of the first players to reach Koné.Koné was whisked to a local hospital were he was preparing for surgery while surrounded by family, Canada coach Jesse Marsch said. He said the injury happened right in front of the bench, and you could hear the “bones snap.”
“Everybody was crushed when it happened, but we had to find a way to stay focused, we knew that Ismaël wanted us to finish the job,” Marsch said. “There’s a lot of thoughts that go through our heads right now, we’re all thinking about him, but we’re all very proud of what we are.”
