Bosnia and Herzegovina returned to the World Cup after a 12-year absence, and Bosnia and Herzegovina’s World Cup began with a 1-1 draw against co-hosts Canada on Friday, June 12.
Here we will explain what the stalemate against the North American side means for the Dragons for their tournament going forward, in terms of their chances of getting out of the group.
Bosnia and Herzegovina’s World Cup Opener: The Pressure Has Come Off After Opening Match
There is plenty one could say about the first game of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s World Cup campaign.
Some of the performance against Canada was good; much of the rest of it was quite disappointing, but perhaps most importantly of all, though, they didn’t lose.
As we have said in a previous piece, the side’s whole outlook on the rest of the tournament could well be determined by a positive result of the pivotal first encounter in Toronto.
Now the pressure against the Group B favourites, Switzerland, might well be somewhat off, given that the new, expanded World Cup format provides for not only the top two in each group advancing, but also the eight best third-place sides as well, and the last game against Qatar should be a game that the Dragons should be winning.
This means that a win against the hosts of the previous World Cup should be enough to advance Bosnia out of the group stage, even with a potential loss against Switzerland, thanks to the valuable point they earned against Canada.
Bosnia and Herzegovina’s World Cup: The Importance Of Being Able To Play Freely Against Switzerland
Coach Sergej Barbarez’s side come into this tournament following an emotional rollercoaster in the World Cup Play-Offs, which took place in late March.
The wins on penalties against Wales and Italy, respectively, were possible because all key players were at or near their best in those crucial matches.
Bosnia and Herzegovina’s World Cup campaign so far has been harmed by injuries. Several players are carrying knocks into the tournament, which prevented them from playing a part during the match against Canada.
The biggest injury of them all is to the team’s captain and talismanic striker, Edin Džeko.
The point they earned against the Canadians could well mean that the iconic Bosnian striker doesn’t need to start the game against the Swiss but can come off the bench if and when he is needed.
That also goes for the other players who might be carrying a knock or just returning from injury, such as Amir Hadžiahmetović, Ivan Šunjić, or Haris Tabaković.
From that point of view, the opening draw might have been a blessing, even though the Dragons led through most of the game after Jovo Lukić’s early goal had gotten them in front.
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Bosnia and Herzegovina’s World Cup: The Must-Win Game Against Qatar
Having said that, there is a major risk associated with having to win the Qatar game.
Even though Barbarez’s side are clearly the better team than their final group stage opponents, that far from guarantees the victory, and they will need to fight hard to get the win that would likely be needed to advance to the next round.
It is very risky to make Bosnia and Herzegovina’s World Cup campaign depend on needing victory in the last encounter, where so much can go wrong.
The Dragons will have to make sure that they fight for something against Switzerland, and even a point in that encounter will increase their chances of making the knockout stages.
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