Alistair Johnston: Media react to Celtic star’s display in Canada’s draw vs Bosnia and Herzegovina

Alistair Johnston had a mixed performance for Canada as they picked up their first-ever World Cup point in a 1-1 draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Monday.

The right-back is one of Celtic’s only representatives at the tournament and started against the Balkan side in their opening game of the tournament.

After he picked up an early yellow card, the 23-year-old settled into the match as Canada came from behind to rescue a draw.

Now, the media have praised the defender’s ability to shut down Bosnia and Herzegovina’s attack, in what was a solid display from the Hoops star.

Johnston had a difficult 2025-26 campaign, with injuries keeping him out of action for months.

However, he managed to return in late April, which helped him get into Canada’s 2026 World Cup squad.

Alistair Johnston praised for defensive contributions vs Bosnia and Herzegovina

Against Bosnia and Herzegovina, Johnston started and played the full 90 minutes at the Toronto Stadium, with Canada perhaps unlucky not to earn a point come the end of the match.

After a difficult start to the first half, which saw the defender make two quick fouls, he was able to settle into the game and be an asset both defensively and offensively.

As a result, Sports Illustrated were quick to praise his defensive work in their review.

It read: “Despite compromising his afternoon with an early yellow card, Johnston confidently handled business and shut down Bosnia’s attack.”

How good was Johnston for Canada?

According to Fotmob on 12 June, Johnston had a very solid game for Canada.

The defender won all of his aerial duels, won 67 per cent of his ground duels, completed one tackle, four clearances, and three recoveries.

On top of this, he was also influential in attack, as he created one chance, saw one shot blocked and completed all of his attempted dribbles.

Therefore, Celtic will be hoping that he can continue this form throughout the rest of the 2026 World Cup to build up form ahead of their new season.

The Hoops heavily missed Johnston’s presence on the pitch for large parts of this campaign, and if he can rekindle his old performances in North America this summer, it could give the club a golden chance at having a good start under Martin O’Neill in August.