Canada earns first World Cup point after drawing with Bosnia

Canada earned their first World Cup point when the co‑hosts rallied from behind to finish a 1‑1 draw with Bosnia‑Herzegovina.

For much of the match Canada felt it was not their day. Bosnia took the lead when Jovo Lukic headed a close‑range corner into the net, and a mix of careless finishing and solid Bosnian defending frustrated the Canadians.

Jonathan David and Tani Oluwaseyi missed clear chances in the first half. In the second half, former Arsenal defender Sead Kolasinac and Nikola Katic both cleared shots off the line as pressure from Jesse Marsch’s side increased.

But Southampton striker Cyle Larin struck from inside the box – his first touch after coming on 121 seconds earlier – to send Toronto into a frenzy and secure a point for the co‑hosts.

“It was the first time Canada had avoided defeat in the World Cup finals, after they had been beaten in all three games in 1986 and then again in 2022.”

Bosnia, who won penalty‑shootout victories over Wales and Italy in the qualifying play‑offs to reach North America, opened the scoring in the 21st minute.

Jovo Lukic netted his first goal for his country when he headed in after Sead Kolasinac flicked on Ivan Basic’s corner.

Canada nearly levelled early in the second half when Richie Laryea’s shot was on target, but Kolasinac produced a brilliant clearance, diverting the ball onto the crossbar and away.

The hosts pushed for a leveller and had another good chance, only for Nikola Katic to clear off the line from Tani Oluwaseyi’s goal‑bound header.

In a thrilling end‑to‑end match, Canada finally secured an equaliser in the 78th minute, marking their first ever World Cup draw.