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“History is about to be made,” the understandably giddy stadium announcer said in the seconds before kick-off and while this was not the perfect start, Canada will not forget Cyle Larin’s equaliser against Bosnia and Herzegovina in a hurry. Trailing to Jovo Lukic’s first international goal, the Southampton striker Larin stepped off the bench and pulled the co-hosts level with his first touch, lashing in 121 seconds after his entrance. A draw in their Group B opener already trumps their last World Cup outing, when they finished pointless in Qatar.

Jesse Marsch’s side always looked capable of scoring, though Juventus’s Jonathan David missed a golden opportunity in the first half and a preposterous Sead Kolasinac block that saw the ball cannon on to the crossbar prevented Richie Laryea finding the net in the second. Bosnia, though, were always playing with fire, holding dear Lukic’s first-half header on his first competitive start for his country. It was a goal that tested the foundations of the south stand, where 7,000 temporary seats were erected to increase the stadium’s capacity, many of them occupied by Bosnia’s most ardent supporters.

For the locals, a first World Cup game on Canadian soil represented an occasion they were always going to savour, regardless of result and long before the captain, Stephen Eustáquio, rolled the ball to Ismaël Koné at kick-off. By that point, it had been quite the show; Michael Bublé was smuggled on to the centre circle among the 48 flag bearers – the US flag was again booed in some quarters – before performing Bring It On Home to Me and, a few minutes later, Alanis Morissette took centre stage to sing Canada’s national anthem, Marsch, born in Wisconsin, singing every word. Oh, and there was a flypast from the The Snowbirds, the Canadian air force’s answer to the Red Arrows.

There was plenty of early gusto from Canada, as expected, Liam Millar’s long throw causing Bosnia and Herzegovina a headache inside 45 seconds. Amar Memic, who started up front alongside Ermedin Demirovic with Edin Dzeko not at full fitness, passed up the first real chance a minute later, blazing over inside the area.

Jonathan David, Canada’s biggest hitter in the absence of Alphonso Davies, missed a sitter on 17 minutes, leaving Marsch to contort in agony on the touchline. Marsch acknowledged his players could not afford to be overhyped but both of his full-backs, Laryea and Alistair Johnston, made hasty challenges, the latter booked for crudely wiping out Memic.

Laryea’s poor challenge was the precursor to Bosnia’s opener. It stemmed from a seemingly training-ground corner routine, Kolasinac rising high at the front post to flick the ball closer to danger and Lukic glanced in a yard or two from the goalline. Cue delirium in the south stand, in the middle of which thousands of Bosnia’s supporters’ group BHFanaticos were stationed.

The water break immediately afterwards provided Marsch with the chance to lighten the load on his players, though the sound of Whitney Houston blaring over the stadium speakers felt untimely.

Marsch’s team selection was predictable, though in attack Villarreal’s Tani Oluwaseyi was preferred to the Southampton forward Larin. Oluwaseyi was guilty of spurning another big chance for Canada just after the half-hour, spooning over when presented with a clear sight of goal.

Canada dominated possession, had more shots and three times as many touches in the opposition box, but had nothing to show for it at the interval. Eustáquio had spoken about the importance of not being overawed but they suffered from a little stage fright in big moments. “We don’t want for all the emotions to block us mentally or physically so that we can’t perform,” he said.

Canada broadly carried on where they left off, plenty of promising moves fizzling out in the final phase. At the same time there was nothing more Laryea, who plays here for Toronto, could have done when Kolasinac made an extraordinary clearance eight minutes into the second half, intervening to divert his goal-bound shot on to the crossbar before Bosnia cleared the ball.

Laryea’s sidefoot effort past Nikola Vasilj came at the end of an incisive Canada interchange. If that stung, more pain almost followed but Demirovic fluffed his lines when a deflection put him clear on goal. Bosnia were having to sustain lots of Canada pressure. Dzeko, in a warmup bib on the sidelines, recognised as much, waving his hands like windmills, encouraging his teammates to respawn.

The chances kept coming for Canada. Nikola Katic headed off the line to thwart Oluwaseyi. A few minutes earlier a frustrated Marsch thumped a ball down on the touchline as another goalscoring opportunity eluded them. A triple substitution on the hour saw Marsch replenish his frontline, introducing Promise David, the highly rated Union Saint-Gilloise striker, Jacob Shaffelburg and Ali Ahmed.

And then came Larin, in place of Oluwaseyi. Kone fed David, who located Larin with a flick. Larin made the finish look easy, swivelling inside the box and volleying past Vasilj.