It took four decades across three World Cups but Canada on Thursday in Vancouver – at long last – won its first game on soccer’s premier stage, a rousing rout of a victory, 6-0, against Qatar.

The team, which had been stuck in a long goal scoring slump, delivered a deluge. Striker Jonathan David, Canada’s all-time scorer who hadn’t put a ball in the net from open play for his country since last September, banged in three goals. He also helped make the opening strike from Cyle Larin happen.

More than 52,000 fans at a soldout BC Place, almost all in Canadian red, saluted the team with a standing ovation at halftime.

The win means Canada keeps pace with Group B favourite Switzerland, which rolled over Bosnia-Herzegovina, 4-1, earlier on Thursday in Los Angeles. Canada’s big showdown with the Swiss, which will determine the winner of Group B, happens next Wednesday, June 24, here in Vancouver.

For the first time in a World Cup match, everything went right for Canada – almost everything that is until a big blow early in the second half. Medics carted off Canada’s linchpin midfielder Ismaël Koné to a hospital. He appeared to fracture his leg after a brief encounter with Qatar’s Assim Madibo. Referees ejected Madibo with a red card, Qatar’s second of the match.