Bosnia 3-1 Qatar: Teenager Alajbegovic helps boost World Cup knockout hopes | OneFootball

Bosnia and Herzegovina’s youngest and oldest World Cup players shone in their frenetic 3-1 win over Qatar to give themselves the best chance of reaching knockouts for the first time and eliminate the former hosts at Seattle Stadium.

Kerim Alajbegovic announced himself to the world with a stunning strike to put Bosnia ahead, before Edin Dzeko’s cross – on his 150th international cap – was diverted over the line by defender Sultan Al-Brake in the space of five brutal first-half minutes.

Ermin Mahmic quashed any hope Qatar had of reaching the knockouts, despite the best efforts of their main man Akram Afif, as the 2022 World Cup hosts bowed out with a first point at the tournament to their name from the opening match against Switzerland.

As it happened

Bosnia began their bid to reach the round of 16 with intent as Ermedin Demirovic and Ivan Sunjic forced Mahmud Abunada into a pair of good saves inside the first three minutes.

Qatar were soon in on goal with Akram Afif latching onto Edmilson Junior’s nod over the defence – Bosnia short at the back following a free kick – but Sunjic whisked the ball away from Afif, one-on-one with the goalkeeper, to rescue his team.

His team had dominated and were well worth their lead when Alajbegovic rode past three challenges on his path cutting inside to the right of goal, before unleashing a firecracker worthy of winning any game into the top right corner.

At 18 years old, the Salzberg winger hit two birds with one stone by becoming Bosnia’s youngest player in their history to both feature and score at the World Cup and the eighth youngest goalscorer in the history of the tournament.

Dzeko had a big hand in doubling the advantage, cutting a deep cross back across goal on the volley that took a wicked deflection off Al-Brake and spun into the net to leave the goalkeeper with little chance of keeping it out.

Bosnia’s captain was then cruelly denied a goal on his landmark cap by the post moments later, which could have killed the game off before the break as Qatar struggled to keep up.

But the hosts from four years ago were handed a lifeline by Al Haydos tapping home Qatar’s return cross into the six yard box after the opposition defence missed several chances to clear the ball away from danger.

The game had completely opened up and Qatar almost capitalized on it on the stroke of half time, when Afif slotted in right-back Pedro Miguel on the overlap, but he was denied by the base of the pust just as Dzeko was before Bosnia’s second goal.

Qatar kept up their advances forward to try and salvage the two goals they needed, but it would be in vein as substitute Mahmic found the net once Dennis Hadzikadunic shifted it across to the 21-year-old midfielder after warding off three defenders.

It was enough to hold off Qatar’s efforts to avoid a second group stage exit in as many years in the second half, thanks to a strong all-round performance from their junior and senior players alike to finish third in Group B on four points.

Bosnia analysis: Alajbegovic hits the ground running again

Kerim Alajbegovic enjoyed a dream debut almost a year ago, scoring and assisting once against San Marino in one of Bosnia’s two World Cup qualifiers last September. He wasn’t even legally an adult at that time.

While they might not have been football’s most formidable opponents, the Red Bull Salzberg winger showed no mercy with his pace and an emphatic finish into the roof of the net on a tricky run into the penalty area aged just 17.

Much like the very first time he put on a Bosnia shirt, Alakbegovic took to his debut at the World Cup like a duck to water.

He danced past several players with the kind of dribbling you’d expect to see from an international maybe 10 years his senior, and just as some inside the stadium thought he had gone too far wide of goal the sensation had other ideas.

And what a goal it was to get Bosnia up and running, a rasping drive that Mahmud Abunada, nor many goalkeepers in the world, stood no chance of turning around the post.

Bosnia head coach Sergej Barbarez withdrew the teenager in the 82nd minute, a sign that he is set for more than the 16-minute cameo he was given in his side’s opening game against Canada.

With how he performed under the pressure of his first full start on the world stage, how can you blame him?

Qatar analysis: another group stage exit but progress made

In the end, it’s another disappointing end to Qatar’s World Cup campaign that’s all too familiar for their supporters and players alike. They finish bottom of their group without a win.

But isn’t a full repeat of their miserable tournament as hosts back in 2022 quite yet. With an historic point on the board courtesy of a memorable 94th-minute equalizer against Switzerland, they bow out with a point on the board.

Better yet, it’s looking like they will avoid ending the tournament as, statistically, the worst-performing nation, albeit the increase from 32 to 48 teams competing.

Their experience at a second World Cup is perhaps better understood by baring in mind the challenging run in they had to the finals in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Julien Lopetegui’s team were and still are without a win since beating the United Arab Emirates in qualifying last October, in part due to seeing three of their five friendlies in the lead up to the tournament cancelled due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Even with the factors that were completely out of their control, Qatar have undergone a visible and numerical improvement and have looked more competitive on the ball and for many spells over the three group games defended as a coherent unit.

Based on the evidence at hand, Qatar wouldn’t surprise anyone if they make a return to the World Cup in four year’s time and see more success in either the FIFA Arab cup or the Asia Cup when the latter returns in 2027.

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