Jesse Marsch provides update on Ismael Kone condition after horrifying World Cup injury

Canada manager Jesse Marsch has given a worrying update after midfielder Ismael Kone broke his leg at the World Cup.

Following an exciting first round of fixtures, the second set of World Cup matches got underway on Thursday with six nations competing in their penultimate group stage match.

Czechia failed to find a winner during their 1-1 draw with South Africa, placing both side's futures in the competition in doubt, while Switzerland secured a dominant 4-1 win over a 10-men Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Meanwhile World Cup 2026 co-hosts Canada picked up their first win and clean sheet of the tournament with a convincing 6-0 thrashing of Qatar in Vancouver.

A hat-trick from Juventus striker Jonathan David alongside goals from Cyle Larin, Nathan Saliba and an own goal from Qatar's Mohammed Manai contributed to the most one-sided win of the World Cup so far.

But it wasn't all good news for the home side, as during the win Canadian midfielder Kone suffered a horrific injury that led to him being stretchered off shortly before the hour mark.

Kone, 24, was caught by Qatar midfielder Assim Madibo in the 53rd minute of the match, with the challenge breaking his leg and leaving him in a lot of pain.

The moment left left many fans with questions about how Kone was doing and the severity of the injury.

Canada manager Marsch, who was visibly shaken up by the horrific injury, provided an update on Kone's condition post-match, admitting that he was a 'huge loss' as the co-hosts look to make it to the knockout rounds.

Speaking after the game, Marsch said: “[You] could hear the bone snap.

“Your heart goes out to him. Everybody’s shaken for him.”

Although it is not yet certain exactly how long Kone will be sidelined, it is expected he will miss at least four to five months following surgery.

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The former Leeds United boss added: “Ismael is such a great kid. He’s so imperfect but that’s why you love him.

“He can do great things and the next moment he loses concentration. He embodies a lot of what the team is. It’s a huge loss for us.

“He’ll be fine, we’ll get him good doctors. He’s got a big future and he’s a big part of everything we’ll do.”

Marsch also revealed that Madibo, who was sent off for the challenge, later came to the Canadian changing room to apologise for his tackle.

Jonathan David reacts to Ismael Kone's devastating leg break in Canada v Qatar

Despite this, David didn't hold back when addressing the Qatar midfielder and his teammate's brutal injury.

He said: “If there’s a play where you cannot win the ball, there’s no point.

“It’s just to hurt people.”

Canada are now all but guaranteed a spot in the knockouts, with their final group stage match against Switzerland on Wednesday likely to decide who tops Group B.

Meanwhile Qatar will likely need to beat Bosnia and Herzegovina when their match kicks off at the same time to have any chance of progressing to the round of 32.