There were mixed feelings in the Bosnia and Herzegovina camp after they opened their campaign with a .
Coming to Toronto to face one of the co-hosts was always going to be a tough challenge, and on that front players and coach alike delivered a fairly positive verdict. But the way they were pinned back and unable to respond for spells of the game was not part of the plan.
"We want to play with courage and we want to have the ball", coach Sergej Barbarez had said just 24 hours before kick-off. After watching his side manage only 39 per cent of possession, you were left wondering whether that pre-match statement had been a tactical ploy to throw off the opponent – or simply a bad day at the office.
"It was difficult to play a lot with the ball because they press hard and deploy man-to-man marking", Tarik Muharemovic told FIFA after the match. "We tried to send long balls forward to our tall strikers and were hoping to win loose balls. It was only in the second half that we tried to play a bit more. We know we have to try harder and play more football."
Barbarez agreed, feeling his players simply had to learn the hard way. "There are many young players in the team and they lack experience. Sometimes, when we feel too safe, the passivity kind of impedes us. This is a matter of experience, and the pressure was huge for them because this was the first match against a World Cup host. We fought in the best possible way, and I have to be satisfied in the end."
Leaving the initiative to the Canadians almost paid off, as Bosnia and Herzegovina came close to a second goal on the counter in the second half. "We had one situation where we were one-on-one against the keeper and maybe we could have finished the game off there", said goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj, who was also keen to highlight the positives. "We also had some good defensive moments, and at the end I think one point is good for us today."
Attention now turns to what may be their toughest match of the group stage. "Everyone thinks Switzerland is the favourite in this group. We have respect for them, but they should also respect us. We know what kind of opponent is coming", Muharemovic said, before laying down the challenge: "If we fight as a team like we did today, we're capable of scoring more goals."
Sources: FIFA Official
