Bosnia-Herzegovina have given themselves a big chance of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup knockout stages thanks to their 3-1 win over Qatar.
The Dragons won’t find out their fate until later in the round, but it would take a lot for them to miss out as one of the best third-placed sides.
They were well worth their victory over Qatar, who went into this final Group B game in the same position. Bosnia-Herzegovina attacked from the off and finally got the breakthrough just before the half-hour mark thanks to Kerim Alajbegovic’s wonderful strike. The lead was doubled shortly after by an own goal from Sultan Al Brake, deflecting Edin Dzeko’s attempted pass into his net.
Qatar pulled a goal back just before half-time, with Hassan Al Haydos tapping in to complete a good attacking move. But Bosnia-Herzegovina’s win was sealed late on thanks to Ermin Mahmic’s second goal in as many games.
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Bosnia-Herzegovina vs Qatar analysis:
Bosnian attack too much for Qatar
Sergej Barbarez’s plan was very clear to see from the opening minute. He had Esmir Bajraktarevic, Kerim Alajbegovic and Ermedin Demirovic heavily pressing the Qatar back line, looking to force errors and pick up loose balls.
They were relentless in their work off the ball, and Qatar did not know how to deal with them. As a team, Bosnia-Herzegovina produced two high turnovers and won possession twice in the attacking third. Their pressing helped them more in the middle of the pitch, though, with 17 possessions won in the middle third.
Early on in the game, the high press resulted in Bosnia-Herzegovina testing their luck from range — forcing two early saves from Mahmoud Abunada. And each of Bosnia-Herzegovina’s first six shots came from outside the area. The fifth, crucially, opened the scoring.
The most positive thing for Bosnia-Herzegovina and their press, was the fact they didn’t change things after going ahead. They’ve already suffered at the World Cup this summer trying to protect a lead, and many teams have struggled when sitting back after going a goal up. Bosnia-Herzegovina learned from that, constantly pressing and looking to extend their lead. It was risky at times, particularly as Qatar grew in the match, but it meant the Asian side couldn’t fully control the game as they would have liked.
Alajbegovic steals the show
Before the World Cup started, we picked out eight wonderkids to keep an eye on at the tournament. Kerim Alajbegovic was one of them, and he announced himself on the world stage to get Bosnia-Herzegovina underway against Qatar.
Alajbegovic came into the World Cup off the back of a good season for Red Bull Salzburg, scoring 13 goals and providing four assists across all competitions. He was also a key player in helping Bosnia-Herzegovina reach the World Cup. In their first group game against Canada, Alajbegovic came off the bench to be Bosnia-Herzegovina’s youngest-ever World Cup player.
Now, he’s their youngest-ever World Cup goalscorer. It was a wonderful goal, and one of the best the tournament will see this summer, both in terms of the strike and the buildup. The 18-year-old picked the ball up in the middle of the Qatar half, tucking inside as he had been throughout the game.
He beat two players thanks to an excellent first touch, before dribbling past a third. Alajbegovic looked to have taken himself too wide, but the midfielder sent a rocket of a strike into the top corner. In doing so, Alajbegovic became the youngest-ever player to score from outside the box at the World Cup since records began in 1966. The man who’s record he broke? Kylian Mbappe.
Alajbegovic’s performance wasn’t just about his goal, as good as it was. He had two shots in total, with the one on target, while completed a whopping six take-ons from nine attempts. The teenager created two chances, including one big chance, and chipped in defensively with two possessions won in the middle third.
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Qatar’s early tactics set them up for failure
Qatar had their chances to take a point against Bosnia-Herzegovina and were probably the brigher team in the second half. But they never really gave themselves a chance of winning the match. And it all came down to how they started.
While Bosnia-Herzegovina were quick out of the blocks, Qatar took some time to get into the game. Even after the shock of two shots on target from long range, it didn’t look like Qatar realised what they needed to do. For the most part, they looked like a side trying to protect the point. A point that would have seen them finish bottom of Group B.
Although Qatar created more big chances than Bosnia-Herzegovina in the first half, they came after going 2-0 down. In fact, Qatar’s first shot (and effort on target) was Hassan Al Haydos’ strike just before half-time. They had three more efforts before half-time, but none troubled Nikola Vasilj in the Bosnia-Herzegovina goal. Pedro Miguel did rattle the woodwork, with Vasilj beaten, but it wasn’t good enough.
It proved to be a mountain too tall to climb. The lead allowed Bosnia-Herzegovina to eventually sit back and defend, with Qatar unable to break them down. Qatar had just three shots in the second half, none of which hit the target. And there was a gap of 26 minutes in which they didn’t manage a shot at all. It was a whimper of a performance to send Qatar out, and the wait for a first World Cup win will go on for at least another four years.
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