Larin scores in 78th minute to rally Canada to 1-1 draw with Bosnia-Herzegovina in World Cup opener

TORONTO (AP) — Canada earned its first World Cup point in seven matches on soccer's biggest stage, and coach Jesse Marsch noted the sea of red-clad, maple leaf-waving fans who continuously belted out chants of “Go Ca-na-da!” helped get it.

A slow start and an early deficit turned into a rousing celebration once late substitute Cyle Larin scored in the 78th minute for a 1-1 draw against Bosnia-Herzegovina on Friday in Canada’s tournament debut on home soil.

Playing in the shadow of Toronto’s iconic CN Tower, and with hockey star Connor McDavid and actors Ryan Reynolds and Mike Myers in the stands, Larin converted Promise David’s pass a mere two minutes after entering the game.

“The crowd, I think, willed us into the game as (the players) could feel that energy in the second half tilting more and more,” said Marsch, who took particular delight upon learning Myers, who portrayed international man of mystery Austin Powers in the movies, was on among those on hand.

“Oh, sweet,” Marsch said.

It was an even better feeling for Larin, who normally starts but had to bide his time watching on the bench until late in the second half.

“It was amazing feeling, just to score a goal on home soil, where I’m from, and just to celebrate with the fans, amazing atmosphere,” said Larin, who plays for second-division English club Southampton and is from Toronto’s suburb of Brampton.

The goal was only the second in World Cup play scored by Canada after the team lost all three of its games at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico and again four years ago at Qatar.

Injury fill-in Jovo Lukic headed in a corner kick in the 21st minute for Bosnia-Herzegovina, which is making its second World Cup appearance. The team previous played at the 2014 tournament in Brazil but failed to advance out of group play.

Starting in place of Edin Dzeko (shoulder) and Haris Tabakovic (undisclosed), Lukic was in an ideal position to cap a set piece with captain Sead Kolasinac flicking along a header off Ivan Basic’s corner kick. The goal was Lukic’s first in international play and coming in the 27-year-old attacker’s fourth international appearance.

Despite giving up the lead, the small Balkan nation of about 3 million people keeps coming up big on the international stage — including eliminating four-time champion Italy in the European playoffs.

Bosnia coach Sergej Barbarez couldn’t help but feel relief in how his team persevered amid such a tough environment.

“This is huge pressure and it’s a huge compliment for my team to have not succumbed to that pressure and I’m very satisfied with that aspect of the game, too,” Barbarez said through a translator.

Though a large majority of the 43,000 fans filling the temporarily expanded Toronto Stadium along the shores of Lake Ontario were Canadians, a small but vibrant group of Bosnian fans in blue also stood out in the upper deck of the stands.

The Bosnians now head west, with games against Switzerland on June 18 in Los Angeles and Qatar on June 24 in Seattle.

Canada also heads west, to Vancouver, for its final two group games, against Qatar on June 18 and Switzerland on June 24.

Marsch’s challenge is to get his team off to a better start.

“I told them after the match that if we play like that second half the whole match, we win, right?” he said.

“We’ve got to find a way to have a bit more confidence and a bit self-belief,” he added. “The good part was is in a difficult moment we responded.”

Before Larin’s goal, Canada’s best scoring chance came in the 54th minute when captain Stephen Eustaquio fed the ball to Richie Laryea in front of a wide-open net. The ball deflected off Kolasinac’s foot and hit the crossbar.

Canada was playing without Alphonso Davies (hamstring), who scored the nation’s first World Cup goal four years ago in Qatar.

AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

Canada's Cyle Larin (9) celebrates after scoring his sides first goal of the game with Promise David (24) during the second half of the World Cup Group B soccer match between Canada and Bosnia, Friday, June 12, 2026, in Toronto. ( (AP Photo/Sam Balkansky)

Canada's Joel Waterman, left and Canada's Tani Oluwaseyi, react after the end of the World Cup Group B soccer match between Canada and Bosnia in Toronto, Friday, June 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Canada's Cyle Larin (9) celebrates after scoring his sides first goal of the game in the second half of the World Cup Group B soccer match between Canada and Bosnia, Friday, June 12, 2026, in Toronto. ( (AP Photo/Sam Balkansky)

Bosnia's Jovo Lukic (25) celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the World Cup Group B soccer match between Canada and Bosnia in Toronto, Friday, June 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Jared Freed)

Canada goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau punches the ball clear as Bosnia's Tarik Muharemovic attempts to head the ball during the World Cup Group B soccer match between Canada and Bosnia in Toronto, Friday, June 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Canada's Promise David (24) grapples with Bosnia Armin Gigovic (8) during the second half of the World Cup Group B soccer match between Canada and Bosnia, Friday, June 12, 2026, in Toronto. (Sammy Kogan/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canada's Cyle Larin (9) celebrates after scoring his sides first goal of the game in the second half of the World Cup Group B soccer match between Canada and Bosnia, Friday, June 12, 2026, in Toronto. ( (AP Photo/Sam Balkansky)

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A fire killed 14 newborns in a nursery at a major government hospital in Pakistan’s capital early Wednesday, according to hospital officials and the government, which already has launched an investigation.

The Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad housed at least 15 newborns in the nursery and at least one baby was rescued from the fire that began about 6:45 a.m. after an air-conditioning unit compressor exploded inside the nursery on the third floor, hospital and rescue officials said.

The fire was confined to the nursery in the gynecology ward, while the rest of the hospital remained unaffected and there were no other injuries reported, according to hospital officials and witnesses. Television footage showed rescue workers using ladders to reach the area through broken windows.

Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal confirmed at least 14 children had died.

“One baby was rescued by a doctor,” said Dr. Aneeza Jalil, a hospital spokesperson. She said the bodies of six babies had been handed over to their families, while the remaining bodies would be released soon.

The deaths of the children sent a wave of shock and grief across the country. Police were deployed at the hospital as grieving parents and relatives gathered, some weeping while others called for accountability and demanded answers about how the fire began and whether the nursery had adequate firefighting equipment.

A woman who identified herself as Mrs. Mohammad Sami said she gave birth three days earlier and her baby was receiving intensive care in the nursery when the fire erupted. She said hospital officials told families that the bodies would be released after the necessary paperwork was completed.

“I don’t know what to say or whom to blame,” she said through tears. “I have lost my child.

Malik Israr, whose niece was a patient in the gynecology ward, told the newspaper Dawn that it was troubling the nursery was housed in a building undergoing repairs and renovation. When the fire broke out, he said, patients were told to evacuate the building and women who had given birth a short time ago had to rush down the stairs.

Firefighters quickly responded and extinguished the blaze and rescue teams began cooling operations at the site, local media reported. Islamabad Chief Commissioner Suhail Ashraf later said the fire had been extinguished and authorities were coordinating with the families.

Within hours, the Islamabad district magistrate appointed a multiagency fact-finding committee with directions to submit a report within 24 hours. The panel will investigate the cause of the fire and its spread, determine whether adequate fire-safety measures were in place and evaluate the emergency response, a government notification said.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed sorrow over the fire.

“A tragedy involving children is an irreparable loss,” said Sharif, who ordered an immediate investigation.

Hours later, Sharif held a high-level meeting and ordered Health Secretary Aslam Ghauri to be removed from office, as well as expressing anger at other officials from relevant agencies in attendance, according to a government statement.

The meeting, held despite a national holiday marking the eve of the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday, also resulted in the formation of a committee to investigate the fire, the statement said.

President Asif Ali Zardari also offered condolences to the families, describing the deaths as “heartbreaking and an irreparable loss.”

Zardari called for those responsible to be identified and dealt with under the law and urged hospitals to ensure effective fire-safety measures and emergency procedures, particularly in wards caring for newborns.

Kamal, the health minister, told local Geo News channel that he was traveling from Karachi to Islamabad to personally oversee the investigation.

He said the director-general of health and the federal health secretary were already at PIMS, one of Islamabad’s largest public hospitals, which recently was the site of a medical examination of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Officials were in contact with the families, according to Kamal, who said the immediate priority was to support the parents and return the infants’ bodies to them.

A father, center, of a victim in a fire is comforted as his child's coffin is carried outside a hospital in Islamabad, Pakistan, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/M.A. Sheik)

Parents react after their child died in a hospital fire in Islamabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/

Relatives of the children who died in a hospital fire, gather at the hospital, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/M.Yousaf)