Thumping win cements Canada's place as a 'soccer nation'
Losing Koné is a setback for the Canadian squad, who had relied on the Ottawa-native as an integral part of its midfield power. Coach Jesse Marsch called him "a big part of the heart of our team."On the field, Koné's teammates rushed to his defence as medics attended to him. Nathan Saliba, who subbed in for him, scored Canada's fourth goal shortly after and held Koné's jersey up in tribute."What you guys did yesterday will stay with me forever," Koné shared on Friday morning on Instagram after undergoing surgery.In a post-match locker room pep talk to the team, Prime Minister Mark Carney hailed the team for showing "a level of character that some people never achieve" in their response to the shocking injury. "You showed it when the entire country and a good part of the world is watching," Carney said. "And if they didn't watch they would have watched the highlights tomorrow."Canada's sports history is filled with iconic moments - Sidney Crosby's gold medal-winning goal in the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, the Toronto Raptors' basketball championship win against the Golden State Warriors in 2019, and the women's football gold-medal win in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.Di Cola contends that what was achieved in Thursday's game is much smaller in comparison, and that Canada's football team still has "a long way to go."But the momentum has certainly built as they gear up to take on Switzerland next.
