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Bosnia and Herzegovina defeated Qatar 3-1 this Wednesday at , concluding the group stage of Group B in the 2026 World Cup, and qualified for the knockout stage as one of the best third-placed teams in the tournament.
The match started with Bosnian dominance. Kerim Alajbegovic opened the scoring in the 29th minute with a shot that made it 1-0. Five minutes later, in the 34th minute, an own goal by Qatari defender M. Abunada increased the lead to 2-0 for the Balkans.
Catar did not give up before halftime. Captain Hassan Al Haydos narrowed the gap in the 42nd minute with a goal that made it 2-1, keeping the tension high until the referee's whistle at the end of the first half.
In the second half, Bosnia controlled the game and sealed the match thanks to a substitute. Edin Mahmic, who had come on in the 64th minute to replace the legendary Edin Dzeko, scored the definitive 3-1 in the 80th minute. Mahmic received a yellow card two minutes later, in the 82nd minute, in the same play that concluded his stellar performance.
The statistics reflected Bosnia's dominance throughout the 90 minutes: 56% possession compared to 44% for Qatar, 14 shots to seven, and five shots on target compared to just one for the Qataris. Qatar committed 13 fouls compared to eight for Bosnia, and accumulated three offside calls compared to one for the Bosnians.
With the victory, the . Switzerland advances as the leader with seven points. Canada follows as the second qualifier with four points. Bosnia and Herzegovina, also with four points but a goal difference of -1, qualifies for the next round as the best third-placed team, achieving for the first time in its history the advancement to the knockout stage of a World Cup as an independent nation.
Qatar, on the other hand, finishes the tournament in last place in the group with just one point, two goals scored and ten against, a goal difference of -8 that reflects the challenges faced by the host team of the 2022 World Cup in this edition.
Bosnia entered this final matchday with one point after drawing 1-1 with Canada on the first day and losing 4-1 to Switzerland on the second. The victory against Qatar, combined with Switzerland's 2-1 win over Canada in Vancouver, ultimately secured their historic qualification for the Round of 16.
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