By Nicole Fernandes
TORONTO, June 12 (Reuters) – Canada coach Jesse Marsch said he was pleased with how his team responded to rescue a 1-1 draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina in their World Cup Group B opener on Friday, which marked the country’s first ever point in the tournament.
A goal from Bosnia’s Jovo Lukic in the 21st minute did not deter Canada, whose sustained pressure in the second half eventually paid off when substitute striker Cyle Larin found the net in the 78th minute shortly after coming off the bench.
“I told them after the match that if we play like that second half, the whole match, we win,” Marsch said.
“I told them we’ve got to learn these lessons and we’ve got to learn them quick,” he said. “We still have everything in hand, that’s a really big point for us.”
It seems fitting that Canada’s first World Cup goal on home soil came from the 31-year-old Larin, who is second on their all-time top-scorers’ list behind Jonathan David.
“Kyle wasn’t happy about not starting,” Marsch said of the striker who bagged eight goals for Southampton in the Championship this season.
“But I said to him, ‘Look, you’ve had a great year at Southampton, whether you’ve started or come off the bench, you’ve had an impact in every game, and now you have to wrap your mind around that.’ And he did.”
Marsch said his team upped the tempo in the second half as they produced more promising attacks in their hunt for an equaliser.
“We could see that (Bosnia) were fading,” Marsch said, adding that he knew his side’s youth, fitness and speed had the potential to wear down Bosnia. “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.”
MARSCH UNHAPPY WITH CANADA’S FIRST HALF
Canada enjoyed decent spells of possession in the first half after falling behind, but the coach said he was not satisfied with his team’s performance in the first 45 minutes.
“I’m disappointed with the first half,” Marsch said. “I just felt we were tentative. We didn’t play as aggressively as I would have liked.”
Willed on by the home crowd, Canada kept their foot on the pedal and created chances until Larin finally nabbed the equaliser off the bench. Canada finished the match having had 13 shots, with four of those on target.
While Marsch noted that his second-half substitutions made a difference, he would like his team to show that same level from the kickoff going into their next match against Qatar on June 18.
“I got to figure out how to get a little bit more out of some of the starters too, and make sure that we have a better performance from the start,” Marsch said.
(Reporting by Nicole FernandesEditing by Toby Davis)
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