Jonathan David paces Canada to historic first win at FIFA World Cup

Jonathan David ended a scoring drought by scoring three goals to lead Canada to its first-ever FIFA World Cup victory with a 6-0 decision over Qatar Thursday before a boisterous sellout crowd at BC Place Stadium.

David, who had been denied in his previous four World Cup matches, scored in the 29th minute and the third minute of added time in the first half. He finished the hat trick in second minute of stoppage time and was named man of the match for his efforts.

Cyle Larin also scored for Canada in the 16th minute, bringing an explosion from the crowd of 52,497. Nathan Saliba, who came in for an injured Ismaël Koné, scored in the 63rd minute and Jacob Shaffelburg in the 75th.

Canadian goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau didn’t face a shot in earning a clean sheet. Canada led 30-2 in shot attempts.

The historic victory moved the Canadians into a tie for first place with Switzerland in Group B standings and improved their chances of advancing to the knockout round of the 48-team tournament.

Canada’s next game will be against Switzerland on Wednesday at BC Place Stadium.

The shine of the victory was tarnished when Koné was carried off the field on a stretcher with a left leg injury suffered in the 51st minute. Qatar midfielder Assim Madibo was issued a red card leaving the team down two men.

There was an electric atmosphere in the building for Canada’s first match in Vancouver. Before the game, fans dressed in red jerseys while waving Maple Leafs sang along to Bryan Adam’s “Summer of 69” then belted out O’Canada.

An avalanche of cheers and chants of “Ca-Na-Da” greeted the team when it stepped on the field.

In the sea of red was an island of white where Qatar fans dressed in traditional robes, waved flags and cheered their team.

Among the fans watching the game were Prime Minister Mark Carney, B.C. Premier David Eby and Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim.

The Canadians, dressed in their black uniforms, controlled most of the early stages of the match. Their first good chance came in the seventh minute when David blasted a shot from the side of the net that goalkeeper Mahmoud Abunada handled.

The energy that had been building in the stadium exploded when Larin gave the Canadian fans what they came to see. David started the play with a shot that Abunada blocked. Larin, the hero of Canada’s opening 1-1 draw against Bosnia-Herzegovina, banged the loose ball in for a 1-0 lead.

David put Canada ahead 2-0 with a right-footed shot from about 15 metres out that curled inside the post.

Larin and David combined again in first-half extra time. Larin took a shot that was stopped but David put in the rebound for a 3-0 lead.

There was controversy in the 31st minute when forward Tajon Buchanan was hauled down by defender Homen Ahmed. At first it looked like Canada would be awarded a penalty kick but VAR overruled the decision. Ahmed was shown a red card, leaving Qatar a man down.

Canada was awarded a free kick but David sent the ball over top of the net.

Just a few minutes later, Buchanan had a shot but a Qatar defender cleared it off the line.

Saliba’s goal came off a free kick with a shot that hit the post and went in.

Shaffelburg added another nail in the coffin with a strike that deflected in off a Qatar player.

Earlier in the day, Switzerland defeated Bosnia-Herzegovina 4-1 in Los Angeles. Canada and Switzerland lead Group B with four points each with 1-0-1 records. Bosnia-Herzegovina and Qatar have one point from 0-1-1 records.

In eight games over three World Cups, Canada has a one win, six losses and a draw.

Canada didn’t score a goal in its first World Cup appearance in 1986 in Mexico and managed just one at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Canada is 30th and Qatar 49th in FIFA world rankings.