Supersub Cyle Larin rescues point for Canada against Bosnia and Herzegovina

“History is about to be made,” the understandably giddy stadium announcer said in the seconds before kick-off. while this was not the perfect start, Canada will not forget Cyle Larin’s equaliser against Bosnia and Herzegovina in a hurry.

Trailing to Jovo Lukic’s first international goal, Larin stepped off the bench. pulled the co-hosts level with his first touch, lashing in 121 seconds after his entrance. It felt like a shot that carried pent-up frustration at being left out of the starting lineup,. maybe at losing his chance to play in the Premier League next season after Southampton’s expulsion from the playoffs.

This draw in Canada’s Group B opener represents their first at a World Cup. trumping their demoralising last outing when they finished pointless in Qatar four years ago. Jesse Marsch’s side always looked capable of a result, though Juventus’s Jonathan David missed a golden opportunity in the first half. a preposterous Sead Kolasinac block that sent the ball cannoning on to the crossbar prevented Richie Laryea finding the net in the second.

Bosnia, though, were always playing with fire, holding dear Lukic’s first-half header on his first competitive start for his country. His goal firmly tested the foundations of the south stand. where 7,000 temporary seats were erected to increase the stadium’s capacity, many of them occupied by Bosnia’s most ardent supporters.

There were a few celebrity fans in the house, too. Larin’s equaliser prompted Ryan Reynolds. the American-Canadian Wrexham co-owner, to high-five supporters in the stands, the ice hockey star Connor McDavid also in attendance.

In his post-match press conference Marsch was informed there was another famous actor present. “Mike Myers was here? Oh, sweet,” he said. Marsch’s final words to Larin, moments before he replaced Tani Oluwaseyi in the 76th minute, were simple. “I said: ‘Make sure you get yourself into the box, find ways to get chances. score.’ And he did that, right away.”

Marsch accepted improvements are required to overcome Qatar in Vancouver on Thursday, but was bursting with pride.

“How awesome was it to see all of the red jerseys, the sea of red? In a difficult moment, we responded. I have to also thank the crowd, they willed us into the game. the place erupted when we got the goal.” Canada’s substitutes emptied on to the pitch and the nation had a moment they craved.

For the locals. a first World Cup game on Canadian soil represented an occasion they were always going to savour, long before kick-off. By that point. it had been quite the show; Michael Bublé was smuggled on to the centre circle among the 48 flag bearers – the US flag was again booed in some quarters – before performing Bring It On Home to Me and, a few minutes later, Alanis Morissette took centre stage to sing Canada’s national anthem, Marsch, born in Wisconsin, singing every word. Oh, and there was a flypast from the The Snowbirds, the Canadian air force’s answer to the Red Arrows.

There was plenty of early gusto from Canada. Amar Memic, who started up front alongside Ermedin Demirovic with Edin Dzeko short of fitness, passed up the first opening a minute later. David. Canada’s biggest hitter in the absence of Alphonso Davies, missed a sitter by his standards on 17 minutes, leaving Marsch to contort in agony on the touchline.

Then Bosnia compounded Marsch’s pain, Lukic glancing in from a training-ground routine; Kolasinac flicked on Ivan Basic’s corner. Lukic sparked delirium among the Bosnian fans. Sergej Barbarez, Bosnia’s head coach, was delighted with how his players acquitted themselves. “We were playing against a host, their opening match, a full stadium, 80% Canadian supporters … It was a huge pressure. a huge compliment that my team did not succumb,” he said.

Canada broadly carried on where they left off, promising moves fizzling out in the final phase. At the same time there was nothing more Laryea. who plays here for Toronto, could have done when Kolasinac made an extraordinary clearance eight minutes into the second half, intervening to divert his goal-bound shot on to the crossbar before Bosnia cleared.

Laryea’s sidefoot effort past Nikola Vasilj came at the end of a slick Canada interchange. If that stung, more pain almost followed but Demirovic fluffed his lines when a deflection put him clear on goal. Bosnia had to withstand plenty of Canada pressure. Dzeko. in a warmup bib on the sidelines, recognised as much, waving his hands like windmills, encouraging his teammates to respawn.

But the chances kept coming for Canada. Nikola Katic headed off the line to thwart Oluwaseyi. then Marsch thumped a ball down on the touchline as another opportunity eluded them. A triple substitution on the hour saw Marsch replenish his frontline and later arrived Larin. Ismaël Koné fed David, who located Larin with a first-time flick. Larin made the finish look easy, expertly rolling his touch-tight marker, Tarik Muharemovic,. volleying in past Vasilj, the ball kissing Katic’s calf en route.