Cyle Larin netted the crucial equaliser as Canada secured a 1-1 draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina in their 2026 FIFA World Cup opener at Toronto Stadium on Friday.
The 31-year-old made an instant impact, scoring just 121 seconds after coming on to help the co-hosts claim their first-ever point at the World Cup.
Bosnia had opened the scoring in the 21st minute from a well-worked corner. Former Arsenal fullback Sead Kolasinac provided the assist, flicking the ball for Jovo Lukic who had the simple task of heading in from very close range to make it 1-0.
Canada responded well to going behind as they immediately started pushing for an equaliser. Tani Oluwaseyi got an opportunity to level the scoreline in the 33rd minute, but he blazed his effort over the top.
More Read
The second half continued in a similar fashion as the co-hosts poured men forward in search of a goal. In the 50th minute, Canada felt they should have had a penalty as Oluwaseyi collided with goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj. However, play was waved on.
Four minutes after that, Richie Laryea looked set to slide in the equaliser, only for Kolasinac to make a sublime clearance onto the crossbar. At the other end, Maxime Crépeau made a brilliant save to deny Ermedin Demirovic from extending Bosnia’s advantage.
In the 68th minute, Canada came very close to leveling the scoreline once again, but Oluwaseyi’s header was cleared off the line by Demirovic, keeping the score line intact.
10 minutes later, Canada eventually got a well-deserved leveler. Cyle Larin, who had only been on the pitch for a couple of seconds proved to be the savior for his side, finishing a well-worked move to make it 1-1.
The Southampton forward almost remarkably won the game in the dying moments, but he was denied brilliantly by Tarik Muharemovic, as both sides settled for a point each.
Canada’s next game comes up against Qatar on Thursday, while Bosnia and Herzegovina face Switzerland on the same day.
© Bold Sports Media. All rights reserved. If sharing, kindly credit Bold Sports as the source and include a link to the original post. Unauthorised use is prohibited.
