Shock, heart attack and a sudden fracture: how the Bosnian media, which dreamed of Euro 2024, reacted to Ukraine's victory

The media in Bosnia and Herzegovina are mourning with their national team after a 1-2 defeat to Ukraine in the semifinal stage of the Euro 2024 playoffs. When describing the state of their players and football officials, they often use the word depression, but at the same time, they call most of the match on March 21 in Zenica "heroic."

OBOZ.UA decided to see what the Bosnian press wrote about the match for a place at the 2024 European Championship and who the media blame for the failure.

Oslobođenje. The oldest daily newspaper in Bosnia and Herzegovina ran the following headlines on its website regarding the match: "The European Championship is still just a dream: Ukraine beats Dragons with a great turnaround", "Easily conceded goals: Ukraine did not pose a threat for 80 minutes, and then a turnaround!"

"Although there was a good rhythm on the pitch, it felt like both teams were playing with a certain amount of caution because they know that it will be impossible to fix anything after this match. What is happening tonight is a fight for a place at the European Championships," the resource notes.

"Ukraine did little in today's game but managed to equalize in the 85th minute of the game and then take the lead. There was a long pass to the right towards Konoplia, Chyvich was far away from the Shakhtar player, who played a free kick to Yaremchuk, Kolashynets couldn't knock the ball out, and the Valencia player sent it into the goal and made it 1-1," the author writes.

"It was quite an easy goal to concede at a time when Ukraine could do absolutely nothing on the Bilino Pole pitch. But this goal shocked our players, and soon there was a complete turnaround. Roman Yaremchuk now assists, and Artem Dovbyk scores, and this is the final coup," the article says.

Klix.ba. "Shock in Zenica: Dragons lost their place at the Euros due to a heart attack in the final," a popular local portal headlined after the match.

"The Dragons played tactically flawlessly for over 80 minutes of the match, but in the end, they lost when the Ukrainians scored two goals in three minutes to decide the winner in a fantastic match in Zenica," the article says.

"The players, led by Savo Milosevic as a player selector, played a great match and they led 1-0, but there was a big fall at the end when Ukraine made a turnaround in three minutes and won," the author writes.

In a poll on the website, "Who is the main culprit for not seeing the Dragons at the Euro?" most readers vote against the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina, followed by "All of them."

Dobrodošli na N1. "Ukraine beat BiH at Bilina Polje and reached the playoff final with Iceland," the Bosnian outlet notes.

"By winning the ball back in our own half and making quick counterattacks, we caused the Ukrainians problems and were better in the first 15 minutes. After that, the Ukrainians started to combine better, but they failed to create a clear opportunity to score. Ukraine got a chance in the first half in the 20th minute: Mudryk went down the left flank, tried to find Dovbyk in the center, but he was taken down by our team's defense," the article says.

"We entered the second half more aggressive and dangerous. After one chance, which Ukraine got thanks to Mudryk in the 52nd minute, Bosnia and Herzegovina scored a goal, which caused an explosion of enthusiasm in Zenica. But after the goal, we left the initiative to the Ukrainians. The visitors were circling the penalty area, but our defense looked strong, and the Ukrainians looked disoriented after conceding the ball," the author of the article notes.

"In the 82nd minute, we had a chance to end the game when Pjanic played a great ball into the penalty area to Demirovic, who shot from seven meters, but Lunin cut the corner well and saved the shot. The missed chance meant a penalty on the other side. In the 85th minute, the Ukrainians equalized thanks to Yaremchuk after Konoplia's low shot from the right flank, and two minutes later a complete turnaround occurred at Bilin Pol. Yaremchuk went down the left flank, made a shot, and before that, the modest Dovbyk scored with his head from the penalty spot - 1-2," the resource summarized.

BL Portal. "Ukraine celebrated with turmoil: the European Championship remains only a dream for the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team," the author of the report said.

"The Dragons led until the very end of the match and were one step away from the playoffs, but the European Championships in Germany next summer will remain just a dream," the article says.

"In today's semifinal match against Ukraine, Coach Sava Milosevic's team was better and more dangerous than the opponent for most of the match. In the first 45 minutes, the Bosnians missed several great chances. "The Dragons continued in the same rhythm in the second half, and the reward came in the 57th minute, causing an explosion of enthusiasm in the fully packed stands of the Bilino Pole stadium in Zenica," the author notes.

"However, the punishment for the missed chances was already at the end of the match. First, in the 85th minute, Yaremchuk scored a goal from Konoplya's pass - 1-1, and Dovbyk completely turned the tide of the match in just a few minutes. That's how Ukraine reached the final, which it will play on March 26 against Iceland, which defeated Israel tonight," the journalist summarized.

The Bosnian press is also worried that after another missed chance to play at the Euros, the national team's star Edin Dzeko will decide to retire. However, the 38-year-old forward is not yet ready to give a definitive answer to this question.

"I don't know if I will play in the Nations League. I wouldn't want to say anything with a hot head, because after a great 85 minutes, we are all unexpectedly sad now," the Turkish Fenerbahce striker admitted after the match.

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