FOOTBALL – BOSNIA and Herzegovina’s coach Sergej Barbarez refused to give up their World Cup hopes after a late collapse in a 4-1 defeat by Switzerland on Thursday left them needing to beat Qatar in their final Group B game to boost their chances of qualifying.
Bosnia held firm until the 74th minute when Switzerland’s Johan Manzambi struck three minutes after coming on.
Bosnia defender Tarik Muharemovic’s red card six minutes later opened the door for Ruben Vargas, Manzambi again and a stoppage-time Granit Xhaka penalty to complete the rout.
“We have this third game and nothing is lost,” Barbarez told reporters.
“We have to win it, of course, if we want to get further. This defeat is huge for us, but I don’t like whining,” he added.