Despite finishing third in the group

LIVE: Bosnia vs. Qatar in a Showdown for a Spot in the Round of 16

At times, it was a bit of a back-and-forth match, but in the end, Bosnia and Herzegovina prevailed over Qatar 3–1—and opened the door to the Round of 32 a little wider …(Bild: EPA/STEPHAN BRASHEAR)

It may still be a tad too early for jubilant motorcades through Sarajevo, but Bosnia and Herzegovina has effectively secured its spot in the Round of 16 of the 23rd World Cup in soccer history with tonight’s victory at Lumen Field in Seattle! Thanks to the 3-1 victory by Edin Džeko and company, the team now has four points in Group B, which—while “only” good for third place behind Switzerland and Canada—should secure their advancement with an 85 to 90 percent probability...

“Noon”—while Bosnia and Herzegovina’s match against Qatar hadn’t exactly been billed in advance as a life-or-death showdown like the one in Fred Zinnemann’s legendary Western starring Gary Cooper as the hero, the game—kicked off at 12 p.m. in Seattle by referee Jesús Valenzuela amid 26 degrees Celsius heat—certainly promised intense drama, drama, and high tension.

The Bosnia and Herzegovina team(Bild: AFP/RICHARD HEATHCOTE)

The Qatar team(Bild: AP/Lindsey Wasson)

Of course, it wasn’t clear at the start who would ultimately emerge as the victorious hero, but the Bosnians quickly left no doubt that they were fired up to the tips of their hair. Ermedin Demirović (2nd minute) and Ivan Šunjić (3rd) had early chances to put the “Dragons” ahead, but Qatar goalkeeper Mahmud Abunada managed to make two saves—though he didn’t exactly look very confident in the process.

Alajbegović gives Bosnia the lead
It took a while for the Qataris—set up by their head coach Julen Lopetegui in what appeared to be an attacking 4-3-3 formation—to find their rhythm, but as far as their own scoring chances went, they were firmly stuck at zero for the time being. The few tentative counterattacks—a through ball from Akram Afif went too far (6th minute), Strum’s Arjan Malić intercepted Hassan al-Haydos (10th minute), and Šunjić cleared the ball before Afif could reach it (13th minute)—were hardly worth mentioning. Despite the pressure easing off at times, it seemed only a matter of time before the Bosnians—fielded by coach Sergej Barbarez in a classic 4-4-2 formation—would take the lead—and shortly after the “hydration break,” that’s exactly what happened...

(Bild: AFP/STU FORSTER)

First, it was Kerim Alajbegović who, after a through ball from Ivan Bašić, dribbled parallel to the edge of the penalty area toward the right, took a shot from about 19 meters, and beat the not-particularly-happy-looking goalkeeper Abunada to give Bosnia a 1-0 lead (29'). Shortly afterward, it was Sultan al-Brake who deflected a shot by veteran star Edin Džeko into his own net, making it 2–0 for Bosnia (35'). In between and afterward, Bašić (33') and Džeko (38'/post!) also had excellent chances to add even more Bosnian goals to the scoreboard.

Qatar scores and Bosnia completely loses its rhythm
But suddenly, instead of a 3-0 lead, Bosnia was up only 2-1, because—just as in the match against Canada—the Balkan side lost some focus and their positive intensity while leading: After a corner kick, Sead Kolašinac and his teammates cleared the ball too carelessly, allowing Edmílson Junior to pass it back into the center from the far post, where al-Haydos reacted quickest and slotted it home from close range (42'). The Bosnians now seemed shaken, completely lost their rhythm—and nearly conceded the equalizer to Ró-Ró. But the left goalpost had other ideas…

Halftime Break Does Sergej Barbarez’s Team Good
The halftime break subsequently did the Bosnians good; Coach Barbarez obviously knew how to make the right adjustments—and they were able to regain the control of the match that had been lost in the minutes leading up to the halftime whistle. This was also thanks to two substitutions right at the start of the second half, as Amar Memić and Benjamin Tahirović came on for Malić and Šunjić.

(Bild: AFP/DEAN MOUHTAROPOULOS)

The first chance of the second half went to the “Dragons,” but after a high pass from Stjepan Radeljić and a layup by Demirović, Džeko was a split second too late (51'). But watch out: Qatar was still in the game, too; for once, Afif broke through and got a shot off from the left side of the penalty area—much to Barbarez’s relief, however, the shot went only into the side netting (53').

After that, in keeping with the final’s high-stakes atmosphere, the match became increasingly tense and frantic; time and again, potentially dangerous attacking moves were launched—but neither the Bosnians nor the Qataris were able to create more than half-chances or quarter-chances in the ensuing play. Nevertheless, the possibility that a pass might slip through at some point and suddenly lead to a goal was always in the air.

(Bild: AFP/DEAN MOUHTAROPOULOS)

Wels native Ermin Mahmić comes on, makes an impact, and scores
In the 64th minute, Bosnia coach Barbarez took the decisive step toward victory—by bringing on Wels native Ermin Mahmić. The very same Ermin Mahmić who, as a substitute, had already scored in the match against Switzerland just before the end—and who also scored the final goal of the game against Qatar. Just under a quarter of an hour later, the Bosnians had established themselves in the opponent’s penalty area, and amid the scramble, Dennis Hadžikadunić poked the ball to the penalty spot, from where Mahmić fired it in with a slight deflection to make it 3–1 (80th minute).

That goal effectively put an end to Qatar’s hopes; there was no real fightback like the one they’d shown just before halftime, and the two-goal deficit dashed any hopes they had of advancing. For the Bosnians, however, those hopes are very much alive—even if they may now have to wait a few days to see the results of the final matches in the other groups before they can celebrate their advancement to the knockout stage for sure. By then, at the latest, the car parades through Sarajevo will be allowed…

The result:
Bosnia and Herzegovina – Qatar 3:1 (2:1)
Seattle, Lumen Field, 66,925 spectators, referee Jesús Valenzuela (VEN)

Goals: 1:0 (29.) Alajbegovic, 2:0 (34.) Abunada (own goal), 2:1 (42.) Alhaydos, 3:1 (80.) Mahmic

Yellow cards: Mahmic and Fathy

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Vasilj – Malic (46' Memic), Katic (63' Hadzikadunic), Radeljic, Kolasinac – Bajraktarevic, Basic, Sunjic (46' Tahirovic), Alajbegovic (82' Burnic) – Demirovic, Dzeko (63' Mahmic)
Qatar: Abunada – Pedro Miguel, Khoukhi, Laye, Albrake – Gaber (46. Hatem), Fathy (79. Manai), Boudiaf (72. Ali), Edmilson Junior (79. Alaaeldin) – Afif, Alhaydos (55. Alganehi)