Canada star who came on for injured Ismael Kone in emotional tribute to stricken pal after World Cup goal against Qatar
CANADA star Nathan Saliba paid tribute to injured Ismael Kone – after coming on to replace him. Anderlecht star Saliba, 22, scored Canada’s fourth goal in their World Cup Group B rout of Qatar. But the game was marred by a horror injury to Kone. The Canadian star suffered what appeared to be a serious injury to his leg on Thursday. He left the field on a stretcher to a huge ovation from the crowd in Vancouver. His replacement was Saliba in the 57th minute. READ MORE ON THE WORLD CUP And Saliba scored Canada’s fourth goal just seven minutes after coming on. The 22-year-old then held up a shirt with Kone’s name and number on the back in tribute to the stricken teammate. Saliba went on to assist Canada’s sixth goal on Thursday night. His 92nd-minute assist set up Jonathan David to complete his hat-trick. Most read in Sport Cyle Larin gave co-hosts Canada the lead and they never looked back. David scored twice in the first-half to make it 3-0 at the interval. Mohammad Manai also scored an own-goal for nine-man Qatar after Saliba’s strike. Canada moved top of Group B and will play Switzerland in the final group stage game. Manager Jesse Marsch said: “Ismael is such a great kid – he’s so imperfect but that’s part of why you love him. “Because he can do great things that nobody else can do, then the next moment he loses concentration. “He embodies us as a team, it’s a huge loss for us. “He’ll be fine, we’ll get him good doctors and get him back but that kid is a big part of our future and everything we do.” How to watch the 2026 World Cup THE 2026 World Cup is finally here - and you can get some incredible deals to watch all the action. All 104 matches will be broadcast on Fox and FS1, and can be watched through a number of streaming services. We have all the places to watch the USMNT and the rest of the world fight it out this summer. *If you click on a link in this boxout we will earn affiliate revenue - Hulu + live TV: subscribe here for just $12.99 a month! - DirecTV: subscribe here from $84.99 a month! - Sling TV: subscribe here starting at $34.99 a month!