World Cup Gameweek 1
Jun 12, 2026 8.00pm
1
1
HT : 0 1
FT Toronto Stadium
  • Alistair Johnston 11' yellowcard
  • Alistair Johnston 12' yellowcard
  • Luc De Fougerolles 53' yellowcard
  • Cyle Larin 78' goal
  • goal Jovo Lukic 21'
  • yellowcard Ermedin Demirovic 44'
  • yellowcard Ermedin Demirovic 45'
  • yellowcard Jovo Lukic 45'+1'
  • yellowcard Jovo Lukic 45'+2'
  • yellowcard Nikola Katic 90'+3'

Canada 1-1 Bosnia-Herzegovina: Jesse Marsch has two major dilemmas ahead of Qatar clash

Larin to the rescue: Canada make history but Marsch has two major dilemmas

Canada's 1-1 draw with Bosnia-Herzegovina to kick off their 2026 World Cup campaign was a hard-fought affair.

Jesse Marsch's side began the game brightly, but the wind was taken out of their sails after 21 minutes when Jovo Lukic headed Bosnia in front from a corner after Ivan Basic's delivery was flicked on at the near post by Sead Kolasinac.

Canada pushed hard to find an equaliser, but struggled in the final third until substitute Cyle Larin fired home just 121 seconds after coming on.

Larin did have a chance to bag a dramatic winner for the joint-hosts in added time, but he was denied by an excellent block from Tarik Muharemovic.

It was a historic result for Canada as they managed to avoid defeat at the World Cup for the first time in their history, but they will be disappointed not to have picked up a first win.

Ahead of Canada's meeting with Qatar, Sports Mole looks at the changes they could make.


Alphonso Davies: Could Canada's talismanic captain return against Qatar?

Canada were without their captain and key player against Bosnia, with Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies missing the game due to a hamstring injury that he suffered back in May.

Marsch said ahead of the game that Davies was "healing incredibly well" and that they are "ready to ramp things up" with his recovery.

Canada will be hoping Davies is fit in time to feature in their second group game against Qatar next week and his quality was sorely missed against Bosnia, with Les Rouges struggling to make their dominance in possession count until the late equaliser.

As Marsch himself pointed out after the game, Canada were "tentative" and lacked intensity until he made changes in the second half and Davies would surely have made a major difference if he was available.

Despite not winning, Canada are well-placed to qualify for the knockouts and the potential return of their captain next week would be a major boost.


Cyle Larin: Should Canada's super-sub be rewarded with a start?

There was some debate ahead of the game over whether Cyle Larin should start, with the forward coming into the World Cup off the back of an outstanding end to the season with Southampton.

Larin netted six goals in his last eight Championship games for the Saints and made an immediate impact when he replaced Tani Oluwaseyi in the 76th minute.

Just over two minutes after coming on, Larin received the ball from Promise David, spun past Tarik Muharemovic and found the back of the net.

Despite being aided by a deflection, it was smart play from the 31-year-old and much-needed after the likes of Oluwaseyi and Jonathan David both missed golden opportunities.

Given he is the man in form and the two strikers who started ahead of him failed to make much of an impact, Larin surely has to start against Qatar.

Written by

Share this article:
Subscribe to our newsletter

Get FREE daily news and in-depth previews for games from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football — straight to your inbox.

Subscribe