Inside the smallest venue being used at this World Cup, one team arrived carrying some of the heaviest expectations in the tournament.
Canada’s history on this stage has long been defined by disappointment. Four years ago, they were one of only two teams — alongside hosts Qatar — to leave the group phase without a single point. Their only previous World Cup appearance before that came in 1986, when they also lost all three matches and failed to score.
Even so, there was a clear sense of optimism as supporters filled the streets ahead of kick-off. While Canada is traditionally known for ice hockey and lacrosse, this squad is widely viewed as the nation’s football golden generation. With that promise has come significant pressure.
So when Bosnia & Herzegovina — the surprise package of the tournament — struck first through Jovo Lukic’s maiden international goal, the reaction was one of frustration and unease, raising fears that Jesse Marsch’s team may have been overestimated.
Yet Canada have become notoriously difficult to beat in Toronto. They have suffered just one defeat in their last 29 matches in the city, a run stretching back to 2023, and they continued to press forward.
“We could see that they were fading, and I told them to put their foot on the jugular and go for the goal,” Marsch said.
There were wild scenes of celebration when Cyle Larin scored the equaliser
Larin’s strike in the second half ensured Canada earned their first point at a World Cup
Richie Laryea was convinced he’d scored in the second half, only for ex-Arsenal defender Sead Kolasinac to clear spectacularly on the line, with the help of the crossbar.
Then it was Promise David, sent on from the bench, who was convinced he’d scored as he saw a header scooped off the line.
Marsch’s style, popularised as ‘Maplepressing’, is high-octane, high tempo stuff and even as Bosnia looked to preserve and protect – a reduction in pace the referee nipped in the bud when he enacted one of the new laws of overturning a throw-in after Kolasinac took more than five seconds to take it – Marsch stuck to his guns and, eventually, reward arrived.
David’s clever flick was turned into the path of fellow substitute striker Cyle Larin, who spun with the grace of a dancer before finishing with finesse to send a whole nation into raptures.
‘I’m disappointed with the first half,’ Marsch added. ‘I felt like we were tentative and we didn’t play as aggressively as we’d like.
‘We’ve got to find a way that when we say we want to be aggressive and we say we want to be intensive, that we actually do it. I told them “we’ve got to learn these lessons and we’ve got to learn them quick”.’
Celebrations spoke of relief; an exorcism of pressure that has been weighing on this group who, to this point, had no World Cup prowess to lean on when the going got tough.
This remains a triumph for a Bosnia side that, by the end, was running on empty.
They weren’t supposed to even be here. They were supposed to lose in Cardiff against Wales – they didn’t. They were supposed to lose to Italy – a side that hugged in celebration when they discovered they would face Bosnia in a World Cup play-off – and they didn’t.
Sead Kolasinac made an extraordinary clearance onto his own crossbar to stop a goal
Jovo Lukic headed in the opening goal of the game for Bosnia & Herzegovina
Here in sunny Toronto as the lowest-ranked side in Group B, Bosnia were supposed to lose to Canada. And yet they didn’t lose this one either.
Both will remain confident of progressing but both, too, will reflect on an opportunity missed, particularly Canada.
Jonathan David and Tani Oluwaseyi spurned golden opportunities inside the penalty box in the first half, while those two improbable goal-line clearances from Bosnia will hurt when the dust settles.
But this was footballing history made by Canada; their first ever point at a World Cup. You can anoint a group a golden generation all you like but success is built step by step.
Now it’s over to Marsch and Co to show just how far they can go.
