Jonathan David stole the spotlight with a hat trick as Canada defeated Qatar 6-0 at Vancouver Stadium. The win was historic for Canada, as it marked the nation’s first-ever win at a World Cup.
David entered the match with a lot of pressure on his shoulders. He faced criticism for his performance in Canada’s Group B opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina last Friday. That match saw him be subbed off, with many supporters voicing frustration on social media.
Some supporters even suggested that head coach Jesse Marsch remove the Juventus striker from the starting-XI.
Qatar was reduced to nine men after two players were sent off. Canada was not satisfied and kept pushing the pace offensively. That was evident with how David found the back of the net.
With the hat trick, David became the first CONCACAF player to register a hat trick in a World Cup match since Bert Patenaude in 1930. Additionally, David now ties Lionel Messi, who also scored a hat trick, for 1st in the Golden Boot standings.
After tonight’s result, Canada now lead Group B due to goal differential and are tied with Switzerland with 4 points. Because of that, next week’s matchup will determine who reaches the Round of 32 as the 1st seed in Group B.
David silenced all the doubters with an incredible performance against Qatar and now aims to carry that momentum into Canada’s final Group B matchup against Switzerland.
Canada Head Coach Jesse Marsch Praises Jonathan David
Canada head coach Jesse Marsch lavished praise on striker Jonathan David for scoring a hat trick against Qatar.
Marsch recalled having to answer tough questions regarding David’s performance against Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, he stressed that he was always confident that the Juventus star would bounce back.
“We know Johnny and what I said was, ‘Buckle up.’ So, I hope you guys had your seat belts on today, because that’s a player, that’s a striker, that’s a goal scorer,” Marsch told reporters during his post-match press conference. “I never had any doubts in Johnny. And the one thing I said for us to really be successful as a team, we need Johnny driving what we do in the the attacking part of the pitch.”
He continued:
“[David] set up the first goal with the shot, then obviously scoring the hat trick. But I thought he was fantastic in general,” Marsch said. “The only thing I encouraged Johnny was to train better and he trained really well this week. And I think that put him in a state of mind to be at his best for this match.”
David Reacts to Scoring World Cup Hat Trick
David shared his immediate reaction to his historic performance in which he scored a World Cup hat trick.
While David was happy get on the scoresheet, he noted that he did not put additional pressure on himself to score. David put last week’s match behind him and did not dwell on it.
“Every game is the same motivation. So, different games, you have different chances. You just have to be ready for the next one,” David told TSN.
Jonathan David Scores Hat Trick in Canada’s Historic Victory Over Qatar