TORONTO : Co-hosts Canada grabbed a second-half equaliser
to draw 1-1 with Bosnia and Herzegovina on Friday in the first World Cup finals
game ever played on Canadian soil.
Cyle Larin got Canada’s goal after Jovo Lukic put Bosnia
ahead with a header in the 21st minute in Toronto.
The result gave Canada its first point in World Cup
history.
Canadian sides had a perfect record of futility at two
previous tournament appearances in 1986 and 2022, with six losses.
Lukic’s goal from a corner sent the small but enthusiastic
Bosnian contingent at the Toronto Stadium into a frenzy.
Canada had the majority of play in the first half but
failed to generate any real chances.
The stadium erupted in the 17th minute when
forward Jonathan David had a clear shot on goal, but it was easily handled by
Bosnian keeper Nikola Vasilj.
Canada’s Ismael Kone had a golden opportunity in the 30th
minute, but sailed his strike well over the net, prompting groans from tens of
thousands of Canadians who blanketed the stadium in a sea of red.
The second half began in similar fashion, with Canada
largely on the attack, but unable to find the net.
Bosnia’s veteran defender Sead Kolasinac saved a certain
goal when he diverted a strike from David onto the crossbar, extending Canada’s
agony.
But Larin’s strike in the 78th minute marked a
high point in Canada’s limited World Cup history, causing a mostly Canadian
crowd of 43,000 to erupt.
Canada threatened to go ahead in the final minutes,
narrowly missing a goal near the final whistle.
Canadian entertainment royalty attended the match at the home of the MLS’s Toronto FC, including film star Ryan Reynolds, from Vancouver, and Saturday Night Live and Austin Powers star Mike Myers, a Toronto native.
