Bosnia and Herzegovina rose to the occasion to defeat Qatar 3-1 in Seattle, and likely put itself into the knockout stages of a World Cup for the first time.
Sergej Barbarez’s team was aggressive in the first half behind standout performances from teenager Kerim Alajbegovic and legendary 40-year-old captain Edin Džeko to propel the team to a defining World Cup victory.
The full rankings of third place teams will not be known until later in the week, but Bosnia and Herzegovina is now in great shape to advance. Here are my four takeaways from the match:
(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
In a World Cup that has been dominated by some of the greatest players to ever play the game, Bosnia and Herzegovina has qualified for the knockout stages for the first time in its history thanks to major contributions from its youth, including its youngest ever goalscorer in winger Kerim Alajbegovic.
Born in Cologne, Germany to Bosnian parents, Alajbegovic took a ball from Ivan Basic and evaded several Qatari defenders and fired a brilliant and unstoppable shot into the top corner.
Bosnia and Herzegovina has a promising group of younger players within its system and Alajbegovic is a big part of the team’s future. Now at Salzburg, he is set to join Bayer Leverkusen this summer.
Even aside from the goal, Alajbegovic had a very good and complete performance where he was routinely dangerous and always looking to make a difference. That is why this tournament can be so much fun. It is not just for established stars, it is also a place where stars are made and Alajbegovic just scored what is arguably the biggest goal in the history of the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team.
In addition to Alajbegovic, Ivan Basic was also very dangerous for Bosnia and Herzegovina throughout the game. Basic not only assisted on Alajbegovic’s goal, he also set up Džeko for a shot off the post. He was the best passer in this game. At just 24, Basic is a player not just for this World Cup, he will also be important to Bosnia & Herzegovina by a long stretch.
Finally, then there is Ermin Mahmic, 21, who put the game out of reach with the third Bosnia and Herzegovina goal. Born in Austria to Bosnian parents, Mahmic played for Austrian youth national teams in the past. It was only last month, in May, when he completed a change-of-association switch with FIFA to play for Bosnia & Herzegovina. In doing so and then scoring in this game, he became one of the key pieces to this national team’s future.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is well set up for the future with a talented base of young players. Most of these players were born outside of Bosnia and Herzegovina at a time when many families in the country were displaced in the 1990s. Now many children born abroad to Bosnian parents in the years following the war are opting to play for Bosnia & Herzegovina.
In addition to Mahmic and Alajbegovic, there is also Esmir Bajraktarevic, who started in this game and played a big role in World Cup qualifying. Bajraktarevic was born and raised in Wisconsin and played for the U.S. U-20 and U-23 teams (and one appearance with the full national team) before switching to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
When Qatar conceded its second goal in a five-minute span via an own goal to fall behind 2-0, it seemed as if Qatar was going to fold and make a quiet exit from the tournament. That was not the case at all.
Qatar responded by playing its best soccer of the tournament, by far. It began with a great cross from right back Pedro Miguel that found Edmílson Junior at the back post. He then was able to set up Al Haydos for a close finish to pull one back and make it 2-1 Bosnia and Herzegovina. Then just before the half, Miguel nearly equalized for Qatar but hit the post instead. While trailing in the later stages of the first half, Qatar enjoyed a long spell where it was on the front foot.
It was a positive response for Qatar and one that should make its fans proud that the team put up a fight and never gave up.
4. The U.S Awaits?
(Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
