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Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team
European Championship | Qualifiers
Oct 10, 2015 at 7.45pm UK
 
Wales national football team

2-0

Djuric (71'), Ibisevic (90')
FT(HT: 0-0)

Live Commentary: Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-0 Wales - as it happened

Relive Sports Mole's coverage as Chris Coleman's Wales qualify for Euro 2016 despite a 2-0 defeat to Bosnia-Herzegovina in Group B.
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Wales travelled to face Bosnia-Herzegovina in Group B of the Euro 2016 qualifying stages seeking out a point to confirm qualification for the tournament in France.

Chris Coleman's men started brightly but were undone in the second half from a goal from substitute Milan Djuric, before Vedad Ibisevic returned late on to seal a 2-0 victory for Bosnia on home soil.

Thankfully for Wales, Israel's defeat to Cyprus in one of the group's other fixtures meant that the Dragons were still able to gain progression despite defeat.

Relive all of the action with our minute-by-minute coverage below.


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Good evening everyone and thank you for joining us as we bring you live coverage of Bosnia-Herzegovina's clash with Wales in Group B of the Euro 2016 qualification stages.

Chris Coleman and his Wales side need just a point from their travels this evening in order to secure a spot in France next summer. As for Bosnia, they will be reliant on third-placed Israel slipping up in their remaining two fixtures to have any sort of chance of snatching a playoff spot from the group.

This campaign has been the stuff of legend for Wales, who currently hold first place in the table. They should have really ensured progression in their last pair of qualification fixtures in September, but somehow they were unable to find a way past a resilient Israel side in Cardiff. As things stand, Wales have not been at a major finals of a tournament for 57 years.

Coleman has managed to transform this Wales side into an outfit that shows great promise in attack, while also having the required defensive organisation to win international fixtures on big stages. The excellence of Real Madrid man Gareth Bale has been crucial too, and fans will be happy that he has been declared fit to play in the country's final two qualifying games.

Bosnia have struggled in this group and they have no chance of coming in the top two to gain automatic qualification. Instead, they need to usurp third-placed Israel by picking up points from their remaining two games and also hope that Eli Guttman's men slip up in the coming days.

One standout fact that remains tonight, however, is that Wales have never actually beaten Bosnia when looking at the clubs' head-to-head history. These Wales charges have a lot to do this evening to come away with three points, but they will be buoyed by the fact that they only require one to clinch qualification

Time for some team news now...

BOSNIA STARTING XI: Begovic; Spahic, Sunjic, Lulic, Zukanovic, Pjanic, Mujdza, Visca, Hadzic, Salihovic, Ibisevic

BOSNIA SUBSTITUTES: Sehic, Buric, Bicakcic, Vranjes, Grahovac, Cocalic, Vranjes, Medunjanin, Hajrovic, Dzeko, Djuric, Hodzic

WALES STARTING XI: Hennessey; Gunter, Taylor, Richards, Davies, Williams, Allen, Ramsey, Bale, Ledley, Robson-Kanu

WALES SUBSTITUTES: Ward, Williams, Chester, Collins, Henley, King, J. Williams, Edwards, Vaughan, Lawrence, Church, Vokes

The major news for the hosts is that Edin Dzeko has been limited to a place on the bench following his recent injury trouble, meaning that Sejad Salihovic has come in to make his first start in the group to add some numbers in midfield. Bosnia are to be led by a lone-striking presence of Vedad Ibisevic, who has one goal in seven games. Roma playmaker Miralem Pjanic will be the main threat for Wales from the off as he looks to pull the strings in the middle of the park.

As for Wales, things are as expected. Bale features as an attacking playmaker in support to frontman Hal Robson-Kanu, while the likes of Joe Ledley and Aaron Ramsey will be seeking to bring some creative qualities to the centre of midfield. Skipper Ashley Williams is to lead from the back.

The important thing for Wales going into the game is that they have remained unbeaten in five competitive away games and have not conceded in their most recent three. Bale will obviously be the key man for the away side tonight, given that he already has six goals in eight games in the group.

Second to that is the fact that Wales are actually unbeaten in 10 games and have conceded just three goals in as part of six wins and four draws.

What will be a challenge tonight, though, is the prospect of having to dislodge a Bosnian side that are undefeated in three home fixtures. Wales will not need to beat the hosts, but they will be looking to win this game despite just requiring a draw to go through with one game to spare. What is for certain is that the Stadion Bilino Polje can often be a hostile place to visit.

The home fans have already been producing some pyrotechnics ahead of the game:


Dzeko should have a vital role to play tonight and the home side will probably look to get him on as soon as possible. He spent most of the run-up to this game in Italy trying to get fit with his club doctors at Roma. The striker has seven goals in seven games and has the ability to cause some major issues for Wales should he get on the pitch. The lack of goals in the hosts' starting XI might just put a bit of pressure on midfielder Edin Visca, whose two goals have been the only two netted by Bosnian midfielders in this group stage.

For Wales, Bale leads the way in the goals department with six. Should Bosnia be able to keep him quiet, the visitors might just struggle in front of goal this evening. So far in the group campaign there have only been three other scorers for Wales in the shape of David Cotterill, Ramsey and Robson-Kanu, all of whom have bagged one each.

Here is where we are playing tonight, Bosnia has been hit with some troublesome weather of late:


The only way Wales would be able to throw away automatic qualification is by losing their final two games and Israel winning both of theirs. Finishing top could be important come the draw for the finals and Wales will be keen to ensure that they end the group at the top of the pile.

Along with Bosnia's midfield quality, what might be an issue for the Wales charges is the intense atmosphere in the ground tonight. Bosnia have already shown this tournament that they can cause real problems on the pitch when they want to, and a partizan home crowd can only make that prospect more threatening.

Israel hold a two-point advantage over Bosnia at the moment, but they also have a better head-to-head reading than their challengers. To clinch a playoff spot, Bosnia would require an extra three points to move clear of Israel instead of just pulling level.

Ledley, Ramsey and Allen will have a major job to do tonight as they attempt to close down the creative abilities of both Pjanic and Visca, who have the quality to not only break down defences but to also score vital goals from midfield.

We have just over five minutes until kickoff and it is time to make a prediction. Wales have come too far to let qualification slip and they should grab the point required to make it to France. I'm going for a 2-1 away victory, courtesy of Madrid man Bale.

The players are now inside the tunnel as we await the start of the game and already this crowd is making the ground shake. Things are pretty tense already as we prepare for the start of this clash.

Wales are up first with their national anthem, which they have taken to with real heart. Safe to say, skipper Williams is better at defending than he is singing...

Anthems are over and it is time to focus on this game... Wales will be in full red tonight, while Bosnia are in all blue.

KICKOFF! Bosnia get the contest rolling by moving the ball back to defence before hoofing forward. Wales are able to win a throw and Robson-Kanu looks to break away on the counter, before being thwarted in the middle of the park.

The home side have taken early control of possession and are looking to move things cleverly across the middle. Wales are looking to press high in the early stages and they eventually win the ball back of Pjanic just short of their own box.

Pjanic times a good run to collect just inside the box, but his poor touch allows Wales to clear. Bale breaks away down the left and seeks a counter cross for Robson-Kanu, although Bosnia get back just in time to break down the move.

Sunjic tries to get in down the left channel, but Gunter is able to match his run and challenge for possession. Some poor timing from Kanu sees Wales concede a free kick for offside just as they were looking to mount a move forward inside the Bosnia half.

Kanu does brilliantly to beat his man on the right flank and he soon cuts the ball into Ledley in the middle. He chips the ball across the face of goal for Bale, but the ball breaks past the winger to give the hosts a lucky throw. The visitors are just starting to find their feet going forward.

Mujdza has the ball over on the right and he aims to pick out Ibisevic in the middle. The cross is not a bad one, although Williams does well to move across and head clear without Hennessey having to come and gather off his line.

CLOSE! Davis slips at the back to allow Pjanic to steal possession. He then knocks a clever pass into the path of Visca, who breaks in behind the defence before flashing a shot across the face of goal and wide of the far post. Wales were almost made to pay there...

Bosnia do not appear afraid to keep possession at the moment and they are starting to move the ball nicely out from midfield. The away side have not really had much possession, but have been quite threatening when in the final third of the home half.

The early pace of the game has just dropped a little. Ramsey throws a clever dummy to win a free kick 40 yards out from goal, leaving the Arsenal man to chip in a delivery. He gets some pace on the ball, which flies towards the far corner and almost catches Begovic out off his line. Clever from Ramsey!

Kanu shows some brilliant athletic movement to leap beyond his marker and catch a flick-on into the path of Bale who thinks he has broken in behind the defence. However, he soon looks over to see the linesman with his flag raised for offside.

A few of the Welsh players seem to be losing their footing in some places on the pitch. We have had heavy rain here for a number of days and that could impact some of the quality of the passing and control tonight. Pjanic aims to get Visca in behind, but his pass is ruled out for offside down in the far-right corner.

Robson-Kanu is trying to assert himself on the Bosnia defence and he is almost in when he seemingly robs Lulic in the centre of defence, before he is arguably unfairly penalised for a foul on the defender. That really just looked like pure strength from the frontman!

Some adroit movement from Bosnia finally sees Lulic collect the ball wide on the right. The defender is able to cross into the middle, where Williams gets free to hoof away.

Salihovic produces some good industry to force Allen to send the ball into touch rather than passing back to his keeper. From the throw, Gunter reads the play well to intercept and send the leather deep into the Bosnia half. There appears to be some space in behind the left-back that Bale might look to exploit as this game moves forward.

Wales eventually try to use that space and Bale gallops free beyond the home defence. He has limited options inside the area and the cross is soon cleared by Spahic.

CLOSE! Wales are able to string a few forward passes together and Ledley finds Bale free down the left channel. The winger breaks beyond his marker to find a cross across the face of goal where Robson-Kanu is lurking, but the delivery is just a few inches too long and the striker is unable to get a foot to it.

Some of the build-up has been too slow for Bosnia, but things soon come alive when Pjanic gets hold of the ball. He seeks to ping a quick pass into the striker, only for Davis to nip in and get a foot to the ball. Ramsey earns another streetwise free kick, which leads Sunjic to make a good clearance from the set-piece sent into the middle of the box.

Ramsey is just starting to get into this and his quick feet see him earn a free kick off Pjanic, who is penalised for his sliding challenge. Bale is over the kick but sends a rather tame shot straight down the throat of Begovic in the Bosnia goal.

Bale picks out a peach of a pass into Allen from the middle of the park, who then finds Ramsey coming inside towards the centre of the area. He tries to slip in Robson-Kanu, leaving Sunjic to make an adroit interception and clear.

The hosts get the chance to feed something into the box from a set-piece, although Pjanic comes up short with a delivery that finds the head of Williams at the first time of asking.

The intensity of this game has all the makings of a club contest, it has really been an intriguing half of football despite the lack of clear-cut chances. Wales have looked the better of the sides going forward, although Bosnia have enjoyed some healthy spells of possession.

Bale has been fairly quiet, but is beginning to show some class out on the pitch. He links up well with Ramsey, whose through-ball into Robson-Kanu is dashed at the vital moment by Spahic just outside of the hosts' box.

YELLOW CARD! A smart ball across the field deep into the left corner finds Bale sprinting beyond Spahic, who brings him down and concedes a yellow for his troubles. Ramsey swings in the ball, which is unable to beat the first Bosnian defender at the near post.

SHOT! Ramsey drops off his marker to find some space. The midfielder turns and is able to pick out a looping shot towards the far post, which flies just wide despite leaving Begovic scrambling to make ground on the effort.

CLOSE! Robson-Kanu flicks a pass into the path of Ramsey who breaks free of the last man. He makes progress towards the keepER and almost has enough on his effort to flick the ball into the net. Taylor comes in to try and bundle the ball over the line, before the referee eventually awards the home side with a questionable free kick.

HALF TIME: BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA 0-0 WALES

Despite the lack of chances, we have had a very interesting first half of football in this game. Wales currently have the result they want to progress into the finals with a draw, but the home side have shown just about enough to indicate that the visitors might just need a goal to ensure they can qualify tonight.

Ramsey and Bale have been more threatening as the contest has moved forward and they will both be hoping to cause further problems in the second period. Pjanic has been the better of the Bosnia players and has sought to add some urgency to the home side's attack. That chance for Wales at the end of the half was a golden one and they were unlucky not to find a breakthrough before the interval.

UPDATE: As things stand, Belgium have now moved to the top of the table in Group B as they currently lead hosts Andorra 2-0. Israel and Cyprus remain tied at 0-0 following the first half.

Bosnia have had just one shot so far despite holding a lot of the possession. That effort came thanks to a slip from Davis, who will be thankful that Visca could only send his flashed effort wide of Hennessey's goal.

Bosnia really need a victory from this if they want to challenge Israel for that third spot in the group. Should they open themselves up to go forward in the second period, Wales will be hopeful of breaking them down on the counter. We should at least see one goal in the second half.

The players are now making their way back out onto the pitch as we await the start of the second period. Can Wales book themselves early progression? We will know the answer to that in another 45 minutes or so. The away side have never conceded a second-half goal in this group...

KICKOFF! Wales get things moving once more with a hoof forward that is easily cleared by the hosts. Bosnia move forward at pace only to be thwarted by the sliding challenge of Williams on the right side of the pitch.

A sloppy start to the second period really as neither side has been able to get their collective foot on the ball. Wales finally do and move down the left through Bale, who is left infuriated when the referee awards a goal kick instead of a corner.

Bosnia almost get lucky when the ball runs for Pjanic down on the right channel inside the area. Luckily for Wales, Davis and Williams move across and are able to clear for a corner. The resulting ball is a poor one, leaving the visitors to head clear.

Bosnia should move in down the right, only for some terrific collective defending from Wales to spoil things. Taylor moves over and slides in to win the ball back for the away side, who now seem really up for the fight in the second half.

Bale finds himself with some room just short of the Bosnia box and he aims to pick out the run of Ramsey. His chipped through-pass has a bit too much on it and runs through safely for Begovic to gather.

The home side are able to keep the ball properly for the first time in the second half and they try to find a cross into the box with plenty of men forward. Salihovic's delivery is a poor one, though, leaving Richards to head away with ease.

CHANCE! Bale finds himself with just Hadzic to beat, but the defender does just about enough to put some pressure on the winger. The Real Madrid man cuts inside the box before firing a shot off on goal, which rises and flies past the target without troubling an unmoved Begovic.

Wonderful stuff from Richards sees the full-back move across from the right infield to beat two Bosnian men. The defender lays a pass into Bale, who then feeds Taylor down the left channel. The cross is a good one, but Bale cannot find the connecting header to reach Robson-Kanu.

UPDATE: Cyprus have just taken a surprise lead over Israel, which is extremely good news for Bosnia. A draw tonight would be a decent result for them, but three points would see them up into that much-desired third spot.

SUBSTITUTION: Bosnia bring another striker on in the shape of Milan Duric, who replaces Visca.

Wales have just started to assert their authority in this game by breaking up each Bosnia move that comes forward, the hosts are hardly getting a look in when getting to the final third. Coleman's charges seem quite happy to knock the ball around the middle at the moment.

Great industry from Allen seems him ride two challenges before putting Pjanic under some pressure down the right flank. The midfielder is unlucky not to win his side a throw, but that passage of play serves as good indicator of just how much Wales want this. They have not conceded in over nine and a half hours of football now.

Another statement is presented by Robson-Kanu who puts some weight into Cocalic, before eventually conceding a free kick inside the Bosnia area. The away side are putting everything they have into this.

Pjanic creates some space on the left before sending in a brilliant curling delivery into the danger zone. Thankfully for Wales, Hennessey has great command of his area and charges off his line to claim the ball mid-flight.

GOAL! BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA 1-0 WALES (Milan Djuric)

The visitors have been breached! Pjanic finds more space with some clever footwork to earn free kick. He sends in another good cross into the middle of the Wales box. Djuric does the rest of the work by holding off two men before looping a wonderful header over a helpless Hennessey. The hosts lead!

Given that Israel still find themselves behind against Cyprus, this scoreline is still enough to see Wales through but they will be disappointed having gone behind. That goal could be a huge one for Bosnia, though, who are aiming to snatch a playoff spot.

SUBSTITUTION: Coleman makes a change as midfielder Ledley is replaced for a striker in the shape of Sam Vokes.

UPDATE: Israel have just scored and are now level at 1-1 with Cyprus. They need one more goal to put some real pressure on Wales. Bosnia are seeking to take the sting out of this game with some neat passing around the back. Wales win the ball back through Taylor, however, who chips a pass into Ramsey. The midfielder goes for goal on the volley and ends up firing over the bar.

SHOT! Not what Wales want to see, really... The Bosnians move the ball around the away box where Salihovic is able to find some space to run onto a lay-off. The midfielder's effort is a poor one, though, and the Dragons escape unharmed as the ball flies wide.

SHOT! Wales chuck the ball forward and Vokes is able to head into the path of Bale, who sends his rasping shot across the face of goal and wide.

UPDATE: More big news from Israel... The home side have now fallen behind against to Cyprus, who lead 2-1 away from home. That would mean that Wales will gain qualification tonight and Bosnia will have a great chance to claim a playoff spot.

YELLOW CARD! Ramsey goes into the book for a late sliding challenge after giving the ball up just short of the home side's area. Things have not quite worked out for Wales despite their efforts in the second half. They have not been bad at all, either. As it stands, other results could help them out massively...

YELLOW CARD! Begovic goes into the book now as he tries to steal a few yards on the free kick. The referee is not taking any prisoners tonight.

CHANCE! Church does well to bring the ball down for Edwards on the edge of the Bosnia box, but the latter's effort flies over the crossbar without troubling Begovic in the middle of goal.

Wales are doing what they can to force a late leveller. Bale has a go from distance to eventually earn a corner. The ball into the area finds a leaping Williams, who can only send a header straight into the hands of the Bosnian stopper who does not have to move to make the save.

CLOSE! Pjanic has some space from distance and he swivels to try and chip Hennessey from range. His effort takes a deflection and almost catches the keeper out as Wales are forced to concede a corner.

GOAL! BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA 2-0 WALES (Vedad Ibisevic)

Bosnia have another to seal the victory! The corner comes across to Djuric at the back-post, who then fires a bullet off a shot across the face of goal where Ibisevic is free to guide the ball into an almost-empty net. Wales have their unbeaten recorded dashed, but they still look to be heading through as Israel still trail to Cyprus.

FULL TIME: Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-0 WALES

What an evening... Wales end up losing 2-0 to Bosnia, but they have still managed to qualify given that Israel have come unstuck following a 2-1 defeat to visitors Cyprus. That means that this win is a huge one for Bosnia, who have now climbed into third spot in the group. That is going to be all from me this evening, see you in France!

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Wales striker Gareth Bale celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the UEFA EURO 2016 Qualifier between Cyprus and Wales at GPS Stadium on September 3, 2015
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Group A

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Q Germany Germany32107
Q Switzerland Switzerland31205
3 Hungary Hungary31023
4 Scotland flag Scotland30121

Group B

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Q Spain Spain33009
Q Italy Italy31114
3 Croatia Croatia30212
4 Albania national flag Albania30121

Group C

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Q England flag England31205
Q Denmark Denmark30303
Q Slovenia Slovenia30303
4 Serbia Serbia30212

Group D

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Q Austria Austria32016
Q France France31205
Q Netherlands Netherlands31114
4 Poland Poland30121

Group E

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Q Romania Romania31114
Q Belgium Belgium31114
Q Slovakia Slovakia31114
4 Ukraine Ukraine31114

Group F

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Q Portugal Portugal32016
Q Turkey Turkey32016
Q Georgia Georgia31114
4 Czech Republic Czech Republic30121


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