Nobody expected Canada to draw their first game. Nobody expected Jonathan David to do this in the second one either.
Jonathan David’s hat-trick powered Canada to a historic 6-0 victory over Qatar at BC Place in Vancouver with Cyle Larin and Nathan Saliba also scoring, and Mohamed Manai adding an own goal to complete the rout.
It was a performance that re-announced Canada again to the world, loud, dominant, and utterly convincing from the first whistle.
Canada made 97 touches in the attacking third, 26 more than any other team has ever recorded in a single World Cup match.
They did not just beat Qatar. They suffocated them.
Qatar finished with nine men, Homam El Amin sent off for a last-man challenge on Tajon Buchanan in the first half, and Assim Madibo dismissed for a brutal tackle that left Canada midfielder Ismael Koné with a serious leg injury.
It was the darkest moment of the night and the most emotional response followed immediately.
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Saliba, who replaced the injured Koné, scored Canada’s fourth goal from a free-kick, and instead of celebrating, he held up his teammate’s jersey in a gesture that stopped the entire stadium.
Canada’s six-goal winning margin is the biggest ever for a CONCACAF team at a World Cup and equals the biggest win ever recorded by a host nation.
With four points from two games, Canada sit top of Group B and need just a draw against Switzerland on June 24 to win the group outright.
From a country that had never won a World Cup match before Thursday, Canada are now top of their group and the whole tournament is starting to notice.
