Bosnia beat Qatar to keep World Cup hopes alive

Bosnia and Herzegovina strengthened their hopes of reaching the knockout stage with a 3–1 victory over Qatar at Seattle Stadium.

Kerim Alajbegović opened the scoring in the 29th minute with an outstanding strike from outside the penalty area.

Bosnia doubled their advantage five minutes later when Edin Džeko’s delivery was deflected into the net for an own goal.

Hassan Al-Haydos pulled one back for Qatar shortly before half-time, giving his side hope of a comeback.

Qatar applied pressure after the restart, but substitute Ermin Mahmić secured the points for Bosnia with a composed finish in the 80th minute.

The victory moved Bosnia onto four points in Group B, and well placed to advance as one of the best third-placed teams. Meanwhile Qatar were eliminated from the tournament.

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Scorers:
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Alajbegović 29’, own goal 34’, Mahmić 80’
Qatar: Al-Haydos 42’