Canada Player Ratings vs. Bosnia & Herzegovina: Canada Collects First-Ever World Cup Point

Cyle Larin’s late goal led Canada to secure a historic result on a historic date.

Cyle Larin (middle) scored one of the biggest goals in Canadian soccer history. | Charlotte Wilson/Getty Images

Canada came from behind and settled for a 1–1 draw against Bosnia & Herzegovina, securing the nation’s first-ever World Cup point in the first-ever World Cup match played on Canadian soil.

It was always going to be a historic day for Canada regardless of what happened on the pitch at Toronto’s BMO Field. But a euphoric scene was quickly dampened when Bosnia took the lead just past the 20 minute mark, with Jovo Lukić tapping in a header from close range from a corner.

Jesse March's side was superior for much of the game, but Canada’s trademark problems in front of goal saw them go into the final 15 minutes still trailing. Finally, it was Cyle Larin who entered the game and less than 200 seconds later fired a rocket to level the scoring in the 78th minute.

BMO Field erupted as the fans pushed the hosts to find a late winner. Canada applied pressure until the end, but a first-ever World Cup victory wasn’t to be.

It says a lot about Canada’s growth that a first-ever World Cup point tastes insufficient, but that’s how much better the hosts looked. Still, it was a historic result for a rapidly-growing soccer nation that will be on a mission to finally get that elusive victory against Qatar next time out in Vancouver.

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The Five Minutes That Defined the Game

Bosnia stunned the hosts in the opening game. | Maja Hitij/FIFA/Getty Images

Canada dominated possession from the moment the starting whistle sounded, with the majority of the game taking place inside Bosnia’s halfway line. There was a latent threat for Canada, though, in the form of Bosnia’s set-pieces. Despite the overall dominance from the hosts, the game was decided in a span of five first-half minutes.

Marsch's side upped the pressure near the 15 minute mark and started overwhelming Bosnia’s backline, bombarding the box with menacing crosses. Finally, Bosnia failed to properly clear one of those deliveries, and a rebound fell right into Jonathan David's path. It was the perfect opportunity for Canada’s talisman to raise the roof, but the Juventus forward fired a weak shot that Nikola Vasilj had no trouble holding on to. It was an egregious miss, and it proved tremendously costly five minutes later.

Bosnia won a corner in one of the few instances where it managed to bypass Canada’s pressure and venture forward. When it seemed like Canada’s opener was only a matter of time, it was Bosnia who pounced, as a near-post flick from Sead Kolašinac was headed into the back of the net by Lukić to spoil the party at BMO Field.

March's side looked destined for an easy win the way the opening exchanges transpired, but two key actions in the span of five minutes turned the hosts’ dream debut into an anxiety attack.

Fortunately for the hosts, Larin’s late equalizer rescued what started to appear like a nightmare first- ever World Cup game on Canadian soil, settling for a point that could be incredibly valuable moving forward.

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Canada Player Ratings vs. Bosnia & Herzegovina

Stephen Eustáquio captained Canada in its World Cup debut. | Image Photo Agency/Getty Images

*Ratings Provided by FotMob*

GK: Maxime Crépeau—7.5: Rarely forced to intervene but Crépeau showcased why Marsch named him his first-choice goalkeeper with a brilliant one-on-one save to keep Canada within striking distance in the second half.

RB: Alistair Johnston—7.2: Despite compromising his afternoon with an early yellow card, Johnston confidently handled business and shut-down Bosnia’s attack.

CB: Luc De Fougerolles—6.9: A fine showing from the 20-year-old who handled his defensive duties well. It’s clear he’s a no-nonsense defender who can be erratic in possession.

CB: Derek Cornelius—7.4: . Had a scary moment in the second half when his poor positioning resulted in Bosnia’s most dangerous action of the final 45 minutes. Still, he was fine otherwise, even if his distribution wasn’t overly sharp.

LB: Richie Laryea—7.9: Ran a marathon down the left wing. Stout defensively and a valuable asset going forward. A strong showing should’ve been rewarded with a goal, but Kolašinac denied him with an incredible block near the goal-line.

RM: Tajon Buchanan—5.7: Struggled to get involved and was ineffective when he did. The electric winger was far from sharp and the experienced Kolašinac didn‘t have much trouble containing him.

CM: Ismaël Koné—6.0: A rather quiet showing from Koné, who never really got in a groove and looked uncomfortable at times. His frustrations were evident as the regular duel-winner was constantly outmuscled by Bosnia’s midfielders.

CM: Stephen Eustáquio—7.5: Canada’s captain was quality as advertised, pulling the string in midfield, escaping pressures with ease and creating dangerous looks that should’ve been rewarded as assists had his forwards been more clinical.

LM: Liam Millar—6.8: The better half of Canada’s wing-duo on the day. Millar was incisive and added some spice to the hosts’ attack. His deliveries could’ve been much better, though.

ST: Jonathan David—6.6: Should’ve put Canada in front before the 20 minute mark, but he fired his shot straight at the goalkeeper in what was essentially a moving penalty-kick.

ST: Tani Oluwaseyi—6.6: Not to be outdone by his partner up front, Oluwaseyi also squandered a big chance to equalize when he sent a shot into orbit from short range.

SUB: Ali Ahmed (61’ for Buchanan)—6.1: Energized Canada’s attack, but he was erratic, meaning he couldn’t truly leave a mark on the game.

SUB: Jacob Shaffelburg (61’ for Millar)—6.1: Struggled to get involved during his cameo.

SUB: Promise David (61’ for David)—6.6: Completed just one pass during his cameo, but that ended up being the most decisive one of the match as he assisted Larin’s equalizer.

SUB: Cyle Larin (76’ for Oluwaseyi)—7.5: What a time for the veteran striker to score his first goal for Canada in almost two years. A brilliant first-touch, turn and finish saved the day and sent BMO Field into pure mayhem.

SUB: Jonathan Osorio (90’ for Eustáquio)—N/A

Subs not used: Dayne St. Clair (GK), Owen Goodman (GK), Alfie Jones, Alphonso Davies, Joel Waterman, Moïse Bombito, Niko Sigur, Jonathan Osorio, Mathieu Choinière, Nathan Saliba, Jayden Nelson

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What the Ratings Tell Us

Canada need more from Tajon Buchanan. | Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images

• If Canada wants to finally win its first-ever World Cup match this summer, then it’ll need more from Villarreal winger Tajon Buchanan. The usually-daring winger looked anything but against Bosnia, disappearing for long stretches and contributing next to nothing in the final third. A similar performance next time out against Qatar simply can’t happen.
• It’s impossible to say that Canada didn’t miss the world-class quality of Alphonso Davies, but Richie Laryea was fantastic against Bosnia deputizing for the injured Bayern Munich left-back. Whenever Davies is ready to feature, Marsch might decide to deploy him as a winger to form a tasty partnership with Laryea on the left wing.
• Tani Oluwaseyi starting ahead of Cyle Larin was one of the surprises of Marsch’s XI. The Villarreal man had a few nice moves, but he wasted the clearest chance he got. Larin, on the other hand, buried the one chance he got to pounce. With both Oluwaseyi and Jonathan David missing sitters, Larin has a good chance to start against Qatar.

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The Numbers That Explain Canada’s Gritty, Historic World Cup Debut

It took a while, but Canada deservedly found the back of the net. | Michael Steele/Getty Images

• Canada emphatically dominated proceedings with 61% possession. But the areas Canada occupied also highlight its superiority on the day, having 38 touches in Bosnia’s box compared to the 14 the European’s had on the other end.
• Despite the level of dominance, Canada could only generate four shots on goal, just one more than what Bosnia produced despite being overly cautious throughout the game.
• It might feel a little underwhelming given how the game transpired, but in Canada’s seventh ever World Cup game, the Maple Leaf finally collected it’s first point in soccer’s biggest tournament.

Statistic	Canada	Bosnia & Herzegovina
Possession	60%	40%
xG	1.41	0.07
Total Shots	16	3
Shots on Target	4	2
Big Chances	2	0
Pass Accuracy	90%	81%
Fouls	12	11
Corners	3	1

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