Wales 1-1 Bosnia and Herzegovina (Pence 2-4): Dan James put the hosts ahead in fine style, but Edin Dzeko’s late equalizer forced extra-time and penalties.
Bosnia celebrates penalty shootout victory (Image: Getty Images)
There was chaos in the stands and confusion in the technical area, even affecting Brennan Johnson and Neco Williams.
In the pressure cooker of the penalty shootout, Johnson and Williams fumbled from the spot, and somehow Wales looked set to snatch defeat from the brink of victory.
My heart hurts.
Wales had just minutes to play against Italy when Edin Dzeko’s late header was canceled out by Dan James’ superb strike.
Ahead of the sudden-death showdown, Craig Bellamy made a simple promise. “We’re fully committed. We’re not backing down.” That turned out to be half true. His team wasn’t sitting idle, but they rarely made a fuss.
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To be fair, that would have been difficult to do if Harry Wilson had been operating as the False Nine. In fact, early interactions were pretty rocky considering the frenetic atmosphere, including smoke from the guests and songs from the hosts.
Despite Bellamy’s words, it was no surprise given what was at stake, and it was always going to take Wales some time to adapt to the system.
Wilson’s stellar season was primarily played out on the right wing, with the ball inevitably drifting to the right. Good effects can be obtained.
Wilson is one of those players who is easy to read but impossible to counter. He can make the predictable unstoppable.
Bosnian keeper Nikola Vasili knew Wilson was going to put the ball on his left foot and curl it towards the top corner, but he remained rooted to the spot and was grateful that the peach of his effort cannon hit the post.
This was the closest they came to scoring in the first half, and the number of yellow cards far outweighed the number of chances. It is no exaggeration to say that Bosnia and Herzegovina’s defensive strategy was one of countering speed with physicality.
Dan James brilliantly puts Wales ahead (Image: Getty Images)
It was miraculous that former Arsenal bruiser Sead Kolasinac – who once took down two knife-wielding helmeted robbers on a London street – survived more than 30 minutes without being warned.
After defeating Dan James with a body slam, he finally became the third Bosnian to do so. It was a game where tactical fouls made the difference between winning and losing.
Other than that, Bosnia offered little in the way of adventure. The game plan showed the team’s true form as they were sent off only for overtime and penalty shootouts.
Bellamy’s men needed to persevere and needed something special. And early in the second half, it duly arrived, courtesy of Dan James.
Dzeko’s goal was his 73rd at international level (Image: PA)
Benjamin Tahirovic’s mistake looked fairly innocuous, but the Leeds winger nodded his way into a long-range half-volley, the element of surprise leaving Vasili perplexed and the mistake costing him.
But the keeper’s mistake shouldn’t detract from James’ ingenuity, as he only hit the underside of the crossbar moments later to deny him his second goal.
Bosnia had to take the lead, but only a world-class save from Karl Darlow prevented Elmedin Demirovic’s header for the visitors on the hour mark. It was a sensational effort.
If James’ goal was enough to win the game, Darlow’s was enough to preserve the victory. However, he knew his job was not done and once again made a quality save to deny Kerim Alajbegovic’s fierce shot.
But the pressure finally mounted when former Manchester City striker Dzeko, 40, scored his 73rd international goal from a corner kick in the 87th minute, sending the match into extra time.
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