TORONTO, June 13 — Canada striker Cyle Larin came off the bench and had an almost instant impact to rescue a 1-1 draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Friday, earning the World Cup co-hosts their first-ever point in their third appearance at the finals.
Larin was on the field for less than three minutes in the frenetic Group B opener that long looked like it would end in defeat for the Canadians when he swivelled in the box and fired home the equaliser in the 78th minute to etch his name in history with the first Canadian World Cup goal on home soil.
"It was special for me. I was ready to come and help the team," said Larin.
"I thought the goals would come. I score when Canada needs me, and always have done."
Bosnia went ahead in the 21st minute when Jovo Lukic steered home a flick-on from a corner for his first international goal, but Canada thundered forward and should have equalised through Richie Laryea in the 53rd, only for Bosnia's Sead Kolasinac to miraculously steer his shot off the crossbar and away to safety.
The packed Toronto Stadium along the shores of Lake Ontario is the smallest of the 16 venues for this year's World Cup but what it lacked in size was made up for in atmosphere as the sea of red supporters clapping and chanting "Ca-na-da" throughout provided a constant soundtrack to the game.
After falling behind, Canada continued to attack but despite creating plenty of chances lacked precision as the Bosnians, who appeared to tire as the game wore on, dealt with a succession of crosses and looked to be heading for a narrow victory.
Larin had other ideas, however, when introduced in the 76th minute and made an immediate impact by firing home a deflected strike to equalise and send the home crowd into raptures.
"The subs came on and made a big difference. The tempo got higher, and we could see that they were fading," said Canada coach Jesse Marsch.
"So, I told them that we've got them now. It's time to put your foot on the jugular and go for the goal."
The result gave Canada their first-ever World Cup point after six defeats from six matches across the 1986 and 2022 tournaments but left them short of the win they craved.
