dpKey events
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.
Julian Borger
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): Abunadal; Miguel, Laye, Gaber, Khouki, Albrake; Boudiaf, Fathy; Junior, Alhaydos, Afif
Subs: Zakaria, Barsham, Mendes, Aloui, Alhussein, Hatem, Alganehi, Alaaeldin, Muntari, Abdurisag, Ali, Mohammed, Manai
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.
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