Bosnia and Herzegovina always knew boosting their goals-scored column would enhance their chances of advancing to the knockout stage for the first time. It was no wonder, then, that thousands of their supporters went berserk when Ermin Mahmic added a potentially crucial third goal in a victory that eliminated Qatar. The goal of the game undoubtedly belonged to the exciting 18-year-old Kerim Alajbegovic, but Mahmic’s sealed the win, third in Group B and a probable last-32 date with the USA in Santa Clara, at the home of the San Francisco 49ers.
There were jubilant scenes at the final whistle. Sead Kolasinac, one of only two players from their last World Cup appearance in 2014, clenched his fists as the other, Edin Dzeko, after his 150th cap, embraced staff, bear hugs the order of the day. Mahmic, a 21-year-old who until May was still an Austrian youth international, was in tears. It was the same in the stands, where one supporter held aloft his blue-and-yellow scarf, lips quivering, before a victory lap ensued. There was a squad photo and then both fans and players bounced in unison. The sound over the speakers? The Bosnian rock band Dubioza Kolektiv’s track USA, of course.
