Bosnia’s first World Cup win ends Iran dreams

Friday, 27 June 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

SALVADOR, Brazil (Reuters): Bosnia beat Iran 3-1 in their Group F finale on Wednesday to record their first World Cup win and deny the West Asians any chance of claiming a shock spot in the knockout stage. Already eliminated after two losses, Bosnia, appearing at a major tournament for the first time as an independent nation, went ahead in the 23rd minute through striker Edin Dzeko and doubled their lead just before the hour through Miralem Pjanic. Reza Ghoochannejhad pulled a goal back for Iran in the 82nd minute but any chances of a nervous finish were swiftly put to bed just seconds later when a fine Avdija Vrsajevic strike restored Bosnia’s two-goal cushion.

“The win against Iran is scant consolation, but I congratulate my players for a display of commitment and passion against a team needing a win to keep alive their hopes of progressing,” Bosnia coach Safet Susic told reporters. “We lacked experience and cool heads at crucial moments in the opening two games but I cannot complain about effort. That’s just football,” adding that he still rued a Dzeko goal wrongly disallowed for offside in a 1-0 defeat by Nigeria. Iran, whose only World Cup victory came in 1998, had required all three points against Bosnia and a win for Argentina over African champions Nigeria to have any shot of grabbing a surprise place in the last 16. While the Argentineans did their bit in beating the Super Eagles 3-2 in Porto Alegre to top the group on nine points, Iran’s dream never looked like materializing in soggy Salvador, leaving Nigeria to advance on four points, ahead of Bosnia on three and Iran on one. Susic opted to ditch a cautious 4-5-1 setup in favor of the attack-minded 4-4-2 that brought Bosnia 30 goals in qualifying, restoring Vedad Ibisevic up front alongside Dzeko in one of five changes for the Fonte Nova clash.