Cyle Larin spares Canada from embarrassing start to World Cup, and makes a statement in the process

The striker sent Toronto Stadium into raptures on Friday when he scored Canada's first men's World Cup goal on home soil. But more importantly, he rescued a point for the home side in a match that looked like it was destined for a Canadian loss.

Facing a bullying Bosnia-Herzegovina team in the Group B opener of the 2026 World Cup, the Canadians came as advertised. Skilled, athletic and hard-working, they possess the ability to put together dazzling stretches of play against most sides, but goal scoring has become a glaring Achilles heel during head coach Jesse Marsch's tenure — and it was very much an issue on Friday as well.

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Despite enjoying the lion's share of possession and carrying the play for much of the match, Canada found themselves in need of a goal as the Bosnians made good on their biggest asset — set-pieces — to give the visitors a lead in the 21st minute that lasted well into the second half. The atmosphere at Toronto Stadium became more tense with every passing moment, eespecially as the home side found new ways to not score goals.

Point-blank shots at the goalkeeper? They did it.

Deft moves into the box to get into prime position to score, only for Bosnia's Sead Kolasinac to find a way to defy physics and clear a surefire goal off his own crossbar and away from danger? That happened, too.

Enter Larin, who started both of Canada's pre-World Cup friendlies earlier this month but showed little to convince anyone that he was the answer to his team's scoring woes.

Despite Larin's poor recent showings and near two-year international goal drought, Marsch surprised many by leaving the 31-year-old out of the starting XI on Friday. After all, no one else was stepping up in the goals department and Larin is Canada's second all-time leading scorer.

That's not to mention his red-hot half-season loan at Southampton that should have culminated in an EFL Championship play-off final if not for the Saints' skirting of the well-known "no spying on other teams' training sessions" rule.

Regardless, Larin has shown that he can score goals, and in bunches, but he remained rooted to the Canadian bench to start the match against the Bosnians.

With time ticking down and luck clearly not on Canada's side, Marsch called Larin's number in the 76th minute to replace the man who had taken his starting job. And then, barely two minutes later, the Brampton Bagsman controlled a pass inside the Bosnian penalty area, turned and fired past goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj to pull his team level and, ultimately, led Canada to a 1-1 draw — their first ever point at this tournament.

"I was ready to come in and score to help the team, to help the stadium and the fans to get back with us," Larin said after the match. "I score when Canada needs me. I've always done it."

With one turn of the hips and a patented quick release that caught Vasilj out of position, Larin flipped the narrative on his recent national team performances. He is well aware of the criticisms leveled at him in the lead-up to Friday's match, and with Marsch electing to leave him on the bench for the first 75 minutes the message was loud and clear: He needed to make an impact whenever he got the chance and show that he's still a key piece of the Canadian attack.

One World Cup goal later, Larin has done just that.

"I want to play every game and I've been working hard all season at my club to play every game, but sometimes you don't have control," he said. "But I have control when I go in the game and showed today [that] I should be playing."

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