Thank you very much for joining me. Here is Ben Fisher’s report from Seattle.
The fun does not stop here. There are two more games coming up imminently.
Follow all the action.
The Bosnia and Herzegovina players are celebrating on the pitch, having secured third place. They think they have done enough to get into the knockout stage.
Full time: Bosnia and Herzegovina 3-1 Qatar
Alajbegović’s stunning opener will be the key memory from this match as Bosnia and Herzegovina put themselves in a strong position to reach the knockout stages. Qatar bow out.
Updated
90+4 mins: Miguel amuses himself by pinging a shot from 30 yards or so, forcing the goalkeeper into action, tipping the shot over.
90+2 mins: Qatar are enjoying the majority of the ball late on and no one in blue is too bothered about it.
90 mins: Six minutes added on.
88 mins: There is a lot of cramp going on now. Maybe the ref can blow up at 90.
86 mins: Four points could/should be enough for Bosnia and Herzegovina but they wouldn’t mind a few more to help them out.
84 mins: This should be a good bit of going through the motions for everyone.
82 mins: Will it be enough for Bosnia and Herzegovina to progress? Only time will tell. Qatar are definitely going out.
GOAL! Bosnia and Herzegovina 3-1 Qatar (Mahmic 80)
There is a bit of pinball in the box but Mahmic keeps his cool to slot home.
Updated
80 mins: Bajraktarevic cuts in from the right and smashes a powerful shot at goal, which the goalkeeper does well to palm away.
78 mins: Lopetegui looks very sweaty, further emphasising the heat in Seattle.
On the pitch, Bosnia and Herzegovina look happy to slow things down here. They are helped by Alajbegovic being roughed up by Fathy, who is booked and then taken off, alongside Edmilson Jr.
76 mins: Bajraktarevic gets the ball on the right and decides to cut in and have a shot but he is off balance and it is always rising.
74 mins: It is Switzerland 2-1 Canada in the other game, in case you were wondering.
72 mins: We go again.
Almoez Ali is on for Boudiaf as Qatar go in search of goals.
69 mins: HYDRATION BREAK.
68 mins: Qatar enjoy time in the final third and win a corner on the left after a burst into the box from Afif. The same man takes it, looping it into the back where Khouki is waiting to volley it back into the dangerzone, winning another corner thanks to a deflection. This one is taken short and is terribly unsuccessful.
66 mins: Bosnia and Herzegovina win a free-kick in a decent position on the right after Mamic is taken down. It is swung into the box but comes to nothing.
65 mins: Dzeko looks fuming, throwing a drinks bottle against the floor.
64 mins: Mahmic and Hadžikadunić are coming on; Katic and Dzeko are the ones withdrawn.
62 mins: Vasilj and Katic collide when the goalkeeper comes to claim the ball. The former is in more trouble and may need treatment. The referee is more worried about stopping people going for a quick drink.
61 mins: Al Ganehi shows the danger he provides, driving down the left and sending in a low cross which is just about cleared from in front of goal. Bosnia and Herzegovina cannot get nervous here. They are planning a change …
59 mins: “I’m 12 years past being 40 but I can remember what it’s like,” says Joshua Reynolds. “The fact that Eden Dzeko is 40 is bananas. I know Ronaldo is older and Messi is close to 40, but for I’m more impressed with Dzeko still doing it an advanced age for some reason.”
Longevity really should get more respect than it does in this industry.
57 mins: Afif gets into the box and has space to shoot but his effort rattles the side netting.
56 mins: Al Haydos looks pretty distraught as he hobbles off. That could be the end of his international career.
Updated
55 mins: Al Haydos is on the deck. I think his race is run. Al Ganehi is readying himself to replace the captain.
53 mins: Bosnia and Herzegovina are enjoy the best of it here. They are dominating possession but the match is a touch pedestrian.
51 mins: A pinpoint ball over the top finds Demirovic, who nods it in the direction of Dzeko for a tap in but the header has too much on it and goes out for a goal kick.
49 mins: Alajbegovic swings in a cross from the left for his teammates to attack but no one can get there in time and the goalkeeper gobbles it up.
47 mins: Kolasinac rampages down the left but his chipped cross is easily claimed.
Bosnia and Herzegovina have sent on Memic and Tahirovic for Malic and Sunjic.
Qatar replace Gaber with Hatem.
Second half
Here we go again!
Half-time reading.
Half time: Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-1 Qatar
It’s been a fun game and Bosnia and Herzegovina are doing just enough to give themselves a good chance of reaching the knockout phase but they have let Qatar back into the match.
45+3 mins: A fine move from Qatar concludes with Pedro Miguel thwacking a shot against the base of the post. Qatar are finally part of this match.
45+2 mins: Joshua Reynolds says: “This definitely seems like the better choice of the two games. Drama!”
Take that, Smyth! Goalless in Vancouver is it, Rob?
45 mins: Five minutes added on.
GOAL! Some very mediocre defending from Bosnia and Herzegovina allows Qatar to flash a couple of crosses along the six-yard line, the second being pounced upon by Al Haydos.
GOAL! Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-1 Qatar (Al Haydos, 42)
The captain steers home from close range.
Updated
40 mins: Qatar were promising on the break early on but their offering has fizzled out. I think they have accepted their fate.
38 mins: Bosnia and Herzegovina already have a decent chance of getting a knockout spot now but a few more goals would not harm their chances.
Dzeko thinks he has added a third, going through one-on-one and whacking a shot beyond the goalkeeper only to see it ping back off the post.
36 mins: I think we can all assume that Qatar are heading out of the tournament now.
GOAL! The ball is whipped in from the left to Dzeko at the back post, from where he volleys back across goal, causing Albrake to inadvertently turn it into his own net.
Updated
GOAL! Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 Qatar (Albrake og, 34)
An unfortunate own goal.
33 mins: A Bosnia and Herzegovina cross is cleared to the edge of the box to Basic, who has a shot that is deflected over. Bosnia and Herzegovina are dominating now.
The corner comes to nothing after Katic heads over.
32 mins: That could be goal of the tournament thus far. The goal puts Bosnia and Herzegovina up to four points and on -2 goal difference, which would probably be good enough to progress.
Chris emails: “Lucy is correct that it’s very hot in Seattle but for context, that means it’s about 28ºC here (83ºF).”
GOAL! The teenager receives the ball around 30 yards from goal, beats a couple of players and then rifles his shot into the top corner. Incredible stuff.
Updated
GOAL! Bosnia and Herzegovina 1-0 Qatar (Alajbegovic, 29)
WHAT A HIT!
28 mins: The free-kick is decent, reaching Katic at the back post but he can only head wide.
27 mins: We go again with the players refreshed.
Alajbegovic is taken out while trying to dribble through the defence. It gives Bosnia and Herzegovina a chance to whip the ball into the box from the left …
Matt Burtz emails: “I’m always amused by what people from the British Isles consider to be hot. My quick Google search says it’s 27 degrees Celsius in Seattle right now which I wouldn’t consider to be particularly hot, but then again I was born in Texas so my tolerance might be higher. (For comparison’s sake, it’s 22 degrees Celsius and raining here in Chicago. Weather more suited for Manchester.).”
But what about the humidity?
23 mins: Alajbegovic is the one to take it, smashing it straight into Khouki’s face in the wall.
HYDRATION BREAK!
Read this …
22 mins: Basic is bundled over on the edge of the box. It feels like a dangerous spot for a free-kick …
20 mins: Bosnia have a corner on the right but it is headed away from the edge of the six-yard box.
I’ve just spoken to our man at the match in Seattle, Ben Fisher, and he is yet to do a Frasier Craine tour. What is the point?
18 mins: A bit of a lull in the action. Basic tries to wake us from this lull by letting fly from 25 yards. The shot does start to dip but not soon enough to get under the bar.
16 mins: Lucy Ward says it is very hot in Seattle, so I can’t complain about the Hydration Break in seven mins or so.
14 mins: Qatar break on Bosnia and Herzegovina. Edmilson nods the ball into Afif’s path and he looks through on goal but Sunjic gets back at him to curtail the danger.
12 mins: Dzeko tries to flick a ball through the defence but thinks it is blocked by hand. The protestations are ignored. It does hit his arm but tricky to suggest it is handball.
Bosnia and Herzegovina get a free-kick in a dangerous position on the right after Malic is crudely brought down … but it comes to nothing.
10 mins: Malic fouls Al Haydos, clipping his heels to send the Qatari to the deck. He is absolutely fuming and wants a card but the referee is correctly more lenient.
8 mins: Qatar play it out from the back and move up the pitch at decent speed but Kolasinac is there to ruin the fun.
Qatari enjoy a little pressure, winning a corner on the left. Unfortunately Afif takes one of the worst set-pieces I have ever seen, sending it about 30 yards backwards and ultimately for a free-kick on the other side. Not sure what he was thinking.
6 mins: Qatar listen to me as Afif tries to slide a pass through for Edmilson Jr to chase but it just has too much on it.
4 mins: Sunjic is the second man to test Abunada already, forcing to dice smartly to his left to palm away. Qatar need to wake up here.
Kári Tulinius emails: :Growing up the idea that Icelanders would ever brag about the summer weather to foreigners was as fanciful as the notion that our national team would ever reach the World Cup, but here in Reykjavík it’s 13 degrees Celsius and sunny.”
2 mins: Qatar blindly punt it long down the line, one assume playing for territory.
Bosnia and Herzegovina bring it straight back up the other end and Demirovic tests the goalkeeper with a strike from the edge of the area. Bosnia and Herzegovina look to have the greater intent.
Kick off
Peep! Peep! Peep! Here we go!
The full squads are walking out and standing around the centre circle. it looks a touch eccentric.
Alexandra Hamilton is here to outdo me: “It is also absolutely horrendously hot here in China. Not enjoying some of these kick off times but there we go. Real feel temperature during the day has been 41 Celsius. Horrendous. Missing Costa Rica in this world cup so cheering for Cape Verde! Thanks as always for the excellent commentary!”
A less nasty 32C here.
Edin Dzeko getting into the zone.
I have the volume on the TV on max, just so I can hear it because my fan is blowing in my face. It is, frankly too hot in England.
I think now would be a sensible time for us all the read the Qatar team guide.
Let’s all hope tonight will be better than the England game.
Peter Oh emails: “It’s too bad that Qatar’s Ro Ro doesn’t play for the boat-powered Norway team!”
This is Edin Dzeko’s 150th appearance for his country, an impressive 35 more than Miralem Pjanic in second.
Before each game in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s World Cup adventure, Sarajevo has blossomed with primary colours – and two distinct flags.
One is the national flag dating to 1998: blue and yellow diagonal halves emblazoned with a slanting line of white stars. The other has golden lilies on a blue shield set against a white background, and has a far deeper history, steeped in centuries of complexity. Its striking resurgence as a national symbol, showcased during Bosnia’s
Qatar midfielder Assim Madibo has been given a five-match ban after receiving a red card for a tackle which seriously injured Canada midfielder Ismael Kone, Fifa said on Wednesday.
Qatar suffered a heavy 6-0 defeat by Canada in their second Group B game, during which Kone sustained a broken leg following a clumsy second-half tackle from Madibo.
The Fifa Disciplinary Committee imposed a five-match suspension for serious foul play, a decision which is subject to appeal to the FIFA Appeal Committee. Kone has undergone surgery and Madibo and Qatar’s sports minister visited him in hospital to check on his health, the Qatar Football Association said.
Starting lineups
Bosnia and Herzegovina (4-2-4): Vasilj; Malic, Radeljic, Katic, Kolasinac; Basic, Sunkic; Demirovic, Dzeko, Alajbegovic, Bajraktarevic
Subs: Jurkas, Zlomislic, Mujakic, Hadzinkadunic, Dedic, Tahirovic, Gigovic, Memic, Hadziahmetovic, Burnic, Mahmic, Bazdar Tabakovic, Lukic
Qatar (5-2-3): Abunada; Miguel, Laye, Gaber, Khouki, Albrake; Boudiaf, Fathy; Junior, Alhaydos, Afif
Subs: Zakaria, Barsham, Mendes, Aloui, Alhussein, Hatem, Alganehi, Alaaeldin, Muntari, Abdurisag, Ali, Mohammed, Manai
Updated
If you do not want to follow this more interesting game, then you could always join Rob Smyth for Switzerland v Canada.
A big night for flags.
Bosnia and Herzegovina plan to play a more offensive game when they face Qatar in a must-win game to keep their World Cup hopes alive, coach Sergej Barbarez said.
A draw would put Bosnia and Qatar on two points, surely not enough to qualify in third place, and Barbarez predicted the high stakes would make for an entertaining contest.
“For us, it’s never our goal to defend for 90 minutes,” Barbarez told a group of largely Bosnian reporters. “There are always phases of the game when... you let the opponent play.”
“It’s not going to be a match of long balls and defending,” he added. “It will be two teams that will have to fight to win.”
Bosnia expect to be well supported by their fans, who have been visible in large numbers in Seattle this week. Qatar, though, are also set to have a large contingent in the stadium, with sections of Seattle Stadium already marked with Qatari flags on Tuesday evening.
The European side go into the game as favourites and victory would most likely set up a last-32 clash against co-hosts the United States. But Barbarez said Bosnia, playing in their second World Cup having been eliminated in the group stage in 2014, had to be wary of their opponents.
“Us being or not being favourites to win the match will not change our approach,” he said. “Looking at Fifa’s ranking, Qatar should be the favourite. They are better ranked than us, so we need to pay attention.”
“Form can beat quality sometimes,” Barbarez concluded. Reuters.
David Pleat has been writing for us. I wonder if he has time to do a couple of live blogs later in the tournament.
Will any of these get a summer move?
If Bosnia and Herzegovina are to get through, then this man will be key. Even at 40, Edin Dzeko knows his way to goal.
If you are a fan of permutations, then this is for you.
Preamble
Welcome to what feels like the battle for third place in Group B. If this elongated and bloated tournament is good for anything, it is allowing mediocre sides to fight it out for a chance to be knocked out in the round of 32. Bosnia and Herzegovina have the best chance, starting the day with a point picked up against Canada, who then went on to boast their goal difference by pummelling Qatar into submission. With a goal difference of -3 they need to win here and, preferably, by quite a few goals to get them into the best (eight) of the rest.
Qatar need to win and by roughly double figures. With a goal difference of -6 they are at a huge advantage. A draw is no good to either side, as that would almost certainly spell the end of their summer vacation.
It should make for a fascinating and attacking game, which is something we should all be grateful for.
Here’s to a cracker.
