After stand-in forward Jovo Lukić headed in a corner kick in the 21st minute for Bosnia and Herzegovina in its World Cup opener against one of the host nations Canada on Friday, a small yet vibrant group of Bosnian fans erupted in joy at the Toronto Stadium.
The Western Balkan nation of some 3 million has been anxiously awaiting its World Cup appearance — only its second since declaring independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1992, triggering a bloody four-year war within weeks — after it came up big, eliminating four-time champion Italy in the European playoffs with a feverish penalty shootout at home.
Thousands of kilometres away, outnumbered by a sea of Canadian fans wearing red at the temporarily expanded stadium along the shores of Lake Ontario — including the likes of Ryan Reynolds and Mike Myers — Lukić's goal sparked tears of joy from the Bosnian fans in blue in the upper deck of the stands.
Starting in place of the team's mainstay star striker Edin Džeko, Lukić, who plies his trade at Romania's Universitatea Cluj, flicked in a team effort after a lively opening to the match in which Bosnia was meant to play the role of the underdog Canada was to easily run aground.
Bosnia went on to play a record-setting game, becoming only the fourth team in World Cup history to record more than 70 defensive clearances in a single match, but Canada rallied to claw one back in the 78th minute, with the match ending in a draw.
