Vancouver: A masterclass from striker Jonathan David guided co-hosts Canada to a historic 6-0 thumping of nine-man Qatar at BC Place, securing the country’s first-ever senior men's victory in FIFA World Cup history.

The home side completely dominated the Group B fixture to climb to the top of the group standings on goal difference. Head coach Jesse Marsch's side started on the front foot, with Cyle Larin opening the scoring in the 16th minute by smashing home a rebound from an Alistair Johnston cross to delight the raucous Vancouver crowd.

Canada doubled their advantage in the 29th minute when Jonathan David pounced on a loose deflection to fire a crisp right-footed volley into the net. Qatar’s tactical plan unravelled entirely just two minutes later. Winger Tajon Buchanan was brought down on a clear breakaway, prompting the referee to issue a straight red card to defender Homam Ahmed for denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity.

Capitalising swiftly on the numerical superiority, Canada added a third on the stroke of half-time. Deep into stoppage time, David grabbed his second of the match by slamming home another loose ball after Larin's initial header had been parried.

Further disciplinary misery for Qatar arrived after the interval. In the 52nd minute, midfielder Assim Madibo received a straight red card following a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review for a dangerous tackle on Ismaël Koné, who had to be stretchered off the pitch.

The resulting tactical changes saw substitute Nathan Saliba find the net in the 64th minute with a spectacular curling free-kick. Ten minutes later, the lead ballooned to five when a shot from Jacob Shaffelburg was inadvertently blasted into his own net by Qatari defender Mohammed Manai.

David put the exclamation point on the historic evening by completing his hat-trick two minutes into second-half stoppage time, converting a sharp pass into the top corner. The milestone strike marks the first-ever hat-trick recorded by a Canadian man at a World Cup, virtually guaranteeing Canada a spot in the knockout rounds.