Two records. One scorcher from an 18-year-old. A comeback that nearly happened. And a result that keeps Bosnia & Herzegovina‘s Round of 32 hopes alive. At the Seattle Stadium, the final Group B match was everything a dead-rubber fixture is not supposed to be. Bosnia & Herzegovina beat Qatar 3- , eliminating them from the tournament. Qatar, to their credit, never stopped trying. It was not enough.
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A Teenager Announces Himself to the World
Bosnia started with the urgency of a team that needed points, and Qatar goalkeeper Mahmud Abunada was forced into two sharp stops inside the opening four minutes — first from an Ermedin Demirović drive, then from an Ivan Šunjić effort. The pressure was constant. The goal, when it came in the 29th minute, was worth the wait.
Kerim Alajbegović is 18 years old. He received a pass from Ivan Bašić, cut inside past two Qatari defenders with composure, and unleashed a 20-yard rocket into the top corner that gave Abunada absolutely no chance. The stadium rose. The teenager wheeled away in celebration, having just become his country’s youngest-ever goalscorer at a World Cup. There will be plenty more occasions like this ahead of him.
Džeko’s 150th Cap — and Qatar’s Cruel Own Goal
Five minutes later, Bosnia made it two. Sead Kolašinac floated a cross to the back post where Edin Džeko — playing on his historic 150th international appearance — met it with a volley across the face of goal. The effort found Sultan Al-Brake rather than the net, deflecting unluckily off the Qatari defender and beyond Abunada. Two-nil. Qatar’s best defensive moment had become their undoing.
Džeko was not done testing the woodwork. In the 38th minute, he beat the offside trap brilliantly, found himself one-on-one, and drove a low shot — straight into the base of the post. Three goals would have ended the contest entirely. Football had other ideas.
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Qatar Fight Back — and Come Agonisingly Close
Qatar refused to fold. In the 42nd minute, Edmilson Junior drove down the left and whipped a cross into the six-yard box. Captain Hassan Al-Haydos was first to it, slamming home from close range. Two-one. Suddenly, the final minutes of the first half were electric.
In the third minute of added time, Qatar came within inches of an equaliser. Pedro Miguel combined cleverly with Akram Afif before striking a low effort that caught the foot of the upright and stayed out. The half-time whistle saved Bosnia. Barely.
Second Half Tactical Battle — and Mahmić Seals It
The second half was more measured. Julen Lopetegui introduced Almoez Ali — Qatar’s all-time record scorer — to inject a sharper attacking threat, and Bosnia coach Sergej Barbarez responded with fresh legs of his own to protect the lead. The game settled into a tense tactical contest, with Bosnia defending solidly and Qatar unable to find the combination that might unlock them.
The decisive goal arrived in the 80th minute and removed all remaining doubt. A corner routine created chaos inside the Qatari penalty area, and substitute Ermin Mahmić was quickest to react, firing a deflected drive past Abunada. Three-one. Game over. Bosnia held firm through the final ten minutes, and when the whistle blew, the celebrations were those of a team that had secured something meaningful.
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Group B Final Picture
Switzerland finished top of Group B, Canada second, and Bosnia & Herzegovina third with enough points to keep their hopes alive of progressing as one of the eight best third-placed teams across the tournament’s twelve groups. Qatar are eliminated. For the 2022 hosts, this FIFA World Cup 2026™ ends here — but they fought until the final minute, and Al-Haydos’s goal and the post-strike from Pedro Miguel showed a team that refused to accept its fate quietly. The youngest goalscorer in Bosnia’s World Cup history and the greatest captain in Qatar’s — both left their mark on a match that delivered far more than anyone expected.
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