VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Canada secured its first-ever men’s World Cup victory with a 6-0 rout of co-hosts Qatar that featured a hat trick from Jonathan David and two red cards for the visitors.
David, who had faced scrutiny after an uneven start to the tournament and a challenging club season at Juventus, answered his critics by scoring three times. The forward finished a volley past goalkeeper Mahmoud Abunada, added a second from close range on the stroke of halftime and completed his treble with a goal in second-half stoppage time.
Cyle Larin opened the scoring inside 16 minutes after converting a rebound from David’s spilled shot. The goal made Larin the first Canadian man to score two World Cup goals, having also netted the equalizer in the opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Qatar were reduced to 10 men before halftime when Homam Ahmed received a red card for a last-man challenge.
Left back Alphonso Davies watched from the bench as his return from a hamstring injury was managed; he completed his customary post-match cooldown on the sideline. Davies, widely regarded as Canada’s greatest male player, played a high-profile role in bringing the World Cup to North America when he addressed the FIFA Congress in 2018 in support of the joint bid.
Head coach Jesse Marsch had urged patience the day before the match, saying David had “scored a heck of a lot of goals” and was not finished. After the final whistle, Marsch celebrated on the touchline and reflected that the win could help transform the sport in Canada, describing the tournament as an opportunity to drive interest, build expertise and create a pathway for the future. The jubilant home crowd, which marched toward the stadium in the hours before kickoff with flags and red smoke, provided a raucous backdrop, although the occasion was slightly tempered when midfielder Ismaël Koné was stretchered off.
