Jonathan David silences doubters with historic hat-trick as Ismael Koné injury darkens Canada’s first World Cup win - Winners and Losers of dominant Qatar rout

Jonathan David is a mercurial player, and throughout the week, he faced plenty of noise after a disappointing showing in the opening draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina, where he was pulled before the hour mark.

The Juventus striker has always said that he lets his goals do the talking - he rarely speaks to the media - and he did just that against Qatar. Early on, his energy was emphatic, pressing Qatar’s defenders and winning second balls. It didn’t take long for him to make his mark on the scoreboard and shut everyone up.

In the 16th minute, a thunderous volley off his right foot created the rebound for Larin to score his second goal of the tournament. Minutes later, David got on the end of a perfectly worked triangular exchange between Tajon Buchanan and Alistair Johnston, before sending a perfectly placed shot into the net for his first World Cup goal. Later on, it was Larin taking the initial shot before David barreled in the rebound.

In the dying moments, he broke through again to add insult to injury, scoring Canada’s sixth and becoming the first Canadian to score a hat-trick at the World Cup. Still, the celebrations were largely reserved after Koné’s injury.

After all the doubt around his ability to deliver in the biggest moments, David finally showed up. The country’s all-time leading goalscorer, now with 42 goals, found the exact confidence that millions had been hoping he’d find.

The CanMNT came away with all three points, but they lost their most important midfielder, as Koné’s elusive moments on the ball were key to much of Canada’s transitional success in the middle of the park.

Although there has been no official update, it appears Canada may have to go ahead without Koné for the rest of the tournament and potentially well into the future. Without him, Canada don’t have another player who can thread passes through defenses, pierce defensive lines, and bring that same level of confidence on the ball.

Injuries ravaged Canada’s lead-up to the World Cup, so the “next man up” approach is nothing new. They’re getting Alphonso Davies back, and Saliba did score off a free kick after coming on for Koné - all good profiles, but players who lack the specific skillset Koné brought.

Alistair Johnston was on the edge throughout Canada’s match, with the threat of a yellow card ruling him out of the Group B finale against Switzerland. Instead of playing in a reserved manner, the Celtic fullback was tenacious in his approach, making himself a central figure in wide overloads with Buchanan, Koné, and David.

He picked up the assist on Canada’s second goal and finished the night with four accurate crosses and six big chances created. At the same time, he avoided a yellow card, keeping himself in contention for the final group-stage match, with cards set to be wiped before the round of 16.

When Koné went down injured, Johnston, one of the most vocal players in the locker room, went to comfort several teammates while also looking cautiously over at his teammate on the ground. He’s a critical player to the team’s success, but he also showed his leadership in a challenging moment.

Qatar struggled to a point that no other team had reached in this World Cup so far. After finishing last at their home World Cup four years ago, the team looked unprepared for the moment against this edition’s co-hosts.

They showed grit and defensive resolve against Switzerland, including the late goal that secured a World Cup point in a 1-1 draw, but the moment got away from them on Thursday.

Head coach Julen Lopetegui, despite his experience in some of the sport’s biggest moments, struggled to maintain his group’s composure.

Qatar will now most likely bow out of Group B and will play their final match without two starters. If Thursday’s performance is anywhere close to the level they plan to play at in the future, it may be a while until they reach a World Cup stage again.

Canada’s aggressive press, with a focus on overloading players in wide areas, paid off in spades on Thursday. Within minutes of kickoff, Buchanan and winger Ali Ahmed had won balls back and forced turnovers, while Qatar were reduced to long balls and only a few brief moments in possession.

Throughout the afternoon, Canada forced players into duels and won 33 of them, while consistently forcing their opponents to chase the game. With their aggressive approach, Canada also managed to win back balls that looked as if they were dribbling out of play, sparking attacking opportunities from those moments.

It was an unrelenting effort from Canada until the final minute, and it showed the fruition of everything Jesse Marsch had dreamed of tactically, under the spotlight.

Heading into the first matchup against Bosnia, there was noise around Larin’s impact in front of goal - so much so that Marsch dropped him from the XI in favor of Tani Oluwaseyi. Larin has since scored twice, once in each match.

After Larin silenced the doubters in Toronto, the noise moved to David’s struggles in front of goal. Consider those doubters washed away, too, after his hat-trick.

With the resounding win, Canada showed they can not just compete on the World Cup stage, but thrive. They managed to do it without Davies as well, giving the captain and superstar another week to recover before playing for the top of the group against Switzerland.

Now, it’s about unifying around the loss of Koné, with the hope that this group can carry him with them as the tournament moves into its biggest moments.