VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) – Qatar’s World Cup loss to Canada on Thursday was a fiasco, with goaltender Mahmoud Abunada appearing to break down in tears as he was consoled by Canadian teammate Jacob Schaffelburg after the final whistle.
“It was a difficult game. Everything that could go wrong went wrong,” coach Julen Lopetegui said. “That’s what football is like.”
Qatar played with two men down for most of the second half and continued in the match after two red cards If we lose 0-6, Worst defeat in short for Persian Gulf countries world cup history. Qatar first participated in the tournament as hosts in 2022, but lost 0-2 to Ecuador, 3-1 to Senegal and 2-0 to the Netherlands.
The second red card was given to midfielder Asim Madibo, who tackled Canada’s Ismael Kone from behind, fracturing Kone’s lower left leg. Kone was carried off the field on a stretcher and taken to the hospital for surgery.
Nathan Saliba, who replaced Kone, scored Canada’s fourth goal in the 64th minute, sinking a 20-yard free kick.
Qatar’s defense struggled to control rebounds and was unable to clear the ball even after Abu Nada made two saves. Canada had 10 shots on goal, while Qatar had none.
Outstanding left-back Homam Ahmed was the first to be sent off. His yellow card was upgraded to a red card in the 33rd minute.
“It was a very tough match for many reasons,” Lopetegui said. “The players did their best. It was very difficult to play this game in this environment with two fewer players.”
After Canada’s postgame huddle, Lopetegui and Canada coach Jesse Marsh had a heated exchange.
Marsh said that although Madibo apologized to Kone after the match, he took issue with the Qatari player’s reaction after the injury.
“I don’t understand the reaction of the whole bench to start a fight over a red card when there was just an obvious foul that broke a player’s leg,” Marsh said. “So, strange behavior.”
Qatar are at the bottom of Group B, but still have a chance to advance to the finals. They will play Bosnia and Herzegovina in Seattle on Wednesday.
___
Ben Kule is a student at the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.
___
AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
