In pure footballing terms, it was a joyous night for two of the World Cup ’s co-hosts, Mexico becoming the first nation to qualify for the knock-out phase of the tournament after beating South Korea 1-0, Canada all but there after a 6-0 thumping of Qatar. But the latter game was marred by a horror of an injury to Canadian midfielder Ismael Kone who suffered a clean leg break after being caught late by Qatar’s Assim Madibo.
The incident, which happened eight minutes in to the second half, left Kone in shock, his team-mates distraught and his manager Jesse Marsch in tears. The 24-year-old former Watford player, who is now with Sassuolo in Italy, was taken to hospital where he had surgery on the leg.
Madibo was sent off for the challenge, thereby reducing Qatar to nine men, Homam El Amin having been sent off for a professional foul in the first half. Canada were already 3-0 up when Kone was laid low, Cyle Larin giving them a 16th minute lead before a double from Jonathan David. They went on to score three more after Kone’s departure, David completing his hat-trick in added time.
It was Canada’s first ever World Cup win, one that leaves them all but assured of a place in the last 32. Switzerland are almost there too thanks to a 4-1 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina in the same group, all the goals in that game coming in the last 15 minutes.
Johan Manzambi proved to be Switzerland’s key man, the Freiburg midfielder scoring twice after coming on. Ruben Vargas and Granit Xhaka got the other Swiss goals, Bosnia-Herzegovina, for whom Ermin Mahmic scored a late consolation, reduced to 10 men after Tarik Muharemovic brought Breel Embolo down when he was through on goal.
Canada and Switzerland meet in the final group game, a draw enough for both to progress – although so healthy is their goal difference over Bosnia-Herzegovina and Qatar, both three points behind, even a defeat is unlikely to stop either side progressing.
Mexico’s final group game against the Czech Republic next Thursday should be a relaxing affair for the co-hosts after they sealed their spot in the knock-out phase with a 1-0 win over South Korea in Guadalajara.
The game’s only goal came in the 50th minute when Luis Romo tapped in to an empty net following a calamitous collision between Korean goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu and his team-mate Lee Gi-hyuk.
But the Koreans are still well-placed to advance too following the draw between the Czechs and South Africa . If we were to say this was a dazzling contest featuring total football, we’d fail the Pinocchio test – spectacularly.
South Africa were just seven minutes away from their second defeat of the tournament, but Teboho Mokoena very cooly converted a penalty to level Michal Sadilek’s fifth-minute goal for the Czech Republic. South Korea play South Africa in their final group game, a win enough to put them through.
Remember, though, because Fifa never want this tournament to end, the eight best third-placed teams in the 12 groups will progress to the last 32. Three points might well be enough to achieve the feat, so even those on zero thus far have a heap to play for yet.
Results: Group A: Czech Republic 1 (Sadilek 6), South Africa 1 (Mokoena 83 pen); Mexico 1 (Romo), South Korea 0. Group B: Switzerland 4 (Manzambi 74, 90, Vargas 84, Xhaka 90+7 pen), Bosnia-Herzegovina 1 (Mahmic 90+3); Canada 6 (Larin 16, David 29, 45+3, Saliba 64, Manai 75 og), Qatar 0.
Goal of the day: Luis Romo scores the winner for Mexico after the mother of all South Korean mix-ups. Listen to the roar from that (very relieved) crowd.
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Moment of the day: When Sarah Pochin, the Reform MP for Runcorn and Helsby in Cheshire, actually pressed “post” on a 13-second video that had her saying ... “England won the football last night, and thank goodness they did – because on the occasions that England lose their football matches, the incidents of domestic violence go through the roof. So boys, keep winning.” You wouldn’t really know where to start with this, so it’s probably best not to try.
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Picture of the day:
Canada's Ismaël Koné acknowledges the crowd as he is stretchered off following his injury. Photograph: Emma Peterson/AP
Question of the day: Who was the only member of the Republic of Ireland’s Italia 90 squad who played their football in France at the time, having joined Le Havre from QPR? He was an unused sub throughout the tournament and these days – major-career-swerve-alert – works as a podiatrist with the NHS.
Coming up today:
Group D – USA v Australia (8pm Irish time, RTÉ2 & BBC One); Turkey v Paraguay (4am, RTÉ2 & UTV)
Group C – Scotland v Morocco (11pm, RTÉ2 & UTV); Brazil v Haiti (1.30am, RTÉ2 & UTV)
Elsewhere in sport: Gerry Thornley previews this evening’s URC final at Croke Park between Leinster and the Pretoria Bulls , Conor Murray reckoning that Leo Cullen’s men are “on a hiding to nothing – beat the Bulls and people will mention defeat in another Champions Cup final”. But? “ Who cares what they say . Over…
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