Right, that's it from me. Stick around for all the reports and reaction. Cheerio!
Bosnia-Herzegovina got the win their efforts in Brazil deserved. Iran at last got a goal. But both teams are going home
Updated
Wed 25 Jun 2014 13.55 EDT
First published on Wed 25 Jun 2014 10.37 EDT
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Peep! PEEP!! PEEEEEEP!!! It's all over. Bosnia-Herzegovina get the win they deserved for their efforts in Brazil. Iran get a goal at last. But both these teams are going home.
90+1 min: There'll be three minutes of added time at the end here.
89 min: Visca puts Pooladi under pressure, but the Iran defender does enough.
87 min: Montazeri pings the ball to Karim Ansari Fahd. He taps the ball round his marker then flops to the turf and is booked for his trouble.
85 min: It's not been a bad World Cup so far …
Iran's goal means all 32 teams have scored at the #WorldCup for the first time since 1998.
— Paul Carr (@PCarrESPN) June 25, 2014
GOAL! Bosnia-Herzegovina 3-1 Iran (Vrsajevic 83)
Iran pour forward after the restart with too much gusto and Bosnia-Herzegovina break. Vrsajevic storms down the right, then drills his shot past Haghighi.
GOAL! Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-1 Iran (Ghoochannejhad 82)
… miracle of miracles! A goal for Iran! Bosnia can't clear the corner properly. It's lofted back in, driven across, and the Charlton striker taps home. But …
81 min: A spark of life from Iran as rain begins to hammer down in Salvador. Ghoochannejhad sees one shot blocked on the edge of the box and then another deflected wide. Corner …
80 min: Besic takes the ball towards the Iran right corner flag. Then pings a long pass back to his centre-backs on the halfway line.
79 min: Off goes Susic for Bosnia, on comes Salihovic.
77 min: Besic goes into the book for his umpteenth foul.
75 min: There was a story the other day about a mystery object being spotted in a lake on the Saturn moon Titan. I loved the fact that this giant lake, the second largest on Titan, is "as smooth as glass. The tranquil expanse of liquid methane and ethane had no waves or surface ripples larger than 1mm." That's how flat this game is now.
73 min: Or french kiss.
72 min: "Curious - why do you call it the Mexican wave? Here in the States, we just call it 'the wave'," writes Tris Miller. I have a feeling it's because of the 1986 World Cup, but it's so ubiquitous now that it probably at least deserves to lose its capital M. Like kendall mint cake. Or welsh rarebit. Or yorkshire pudding.
71 min: An awkwardly bouncing cross sparks a moment of panic – Pjanic? – in the Bosnia-Herzegovina box. Only a moment though.
70 min: Karim Ansari Fard has replaced Dejagah.
69 min: It's Mexican wave time in the stands. They get a bad rep, but I love a good Mexican wave.
67 min: … cleared this time.
12 - 12 of the last 14 goals #IRN have conceded at the World Cup have come in the second half. Weary.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 25, 2014
66 min: A mis-hit Kolasinac shot almost squeezes past Haghighi at the near post. Corner. And another …
65 min: Only one team looks like adding to the score here. And it's not Iran.
64 min: Dejagah finds Bakhsh running down the left. He's got little or no support, though, and simply taps his shot softly into Begovic's hands from a tight angle.
62 min: There's a chance Pjanic was offside for that goal, but it's as close as makes no difference.
Poor decisions by Queiroz today. Not sure if he knows we needed to win
— Babak Golriz (@BabakGolriz) June 25, 2014
61 min: So Iran need three goals. In 30 minutes. Goals in their 240 minutes at the World Cup so far: zero.
GOAL! Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-0 Iran (Pjanic 59)
Oh, Iran. A shocking pass out of defence from Hosseini hands possession to Dzeko just outside the area and the Manchester City man has plenty of support. The ball is slipped through to Pjanic, who coolly slots past Haghighi.
57 min: Neat work 30 yards from goal from Bosnia, but once the ball is moved out to the right, Vrsajevic's cross is poor.
55 min: A moment that sums things up for both sides at the moment: the goalkeeper Haghighi kicks from his hands, Sunjic gets his head to it on halfway. And the ball rolls back through to Haghighi. Who clears again …
53 min: Another chance for Dejagah to swing a free-kick into the box. But again it's as wasted as Meat Loaf's youth. Dzeko heads clear.
52 min: Good news for Iran: Argentina have scored yet again. Bad news for Iran: they don't look remotely like scoring themselves.
51 min: Cut to Iran fans in the stands, who are doing their best to get the team going. t's a good effort, but they can't really compare to this little chap:
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49 min: Drawing of lots hopes fade again – it's Argentina 2-2 Nigeria. We now need another Argentina goal, another Bosnia goal and three Iran goals.
48 min: Pass, pass, pass from Bosnia-Herzegovina. Pass, pass, pass. Passpasspasspass …
46 min: "Richard Harland (28 min) should check out the 2011 Kirin Cup if 0-0s are his thing," writes Rob Francis.
Peep! Off we go again.
A substitution for Iran: Heydari replaces Shojaei.
Peep! Half-time. Iran have responded well to going behind, but they've got a lot to do in the second half.
45+3 min: Happens.
45+2 min: Nothing.
45+1 min: But.
45 min: Three minutes of added time to play.
44 min: Begovic juggles another Dejagah free-kick, punted into the box from deep. It's good goalkeeping but Iran have wasted too many of those set pieces.
42 min: Fine chance for Bosnia! Dzeko plays a quite glorious pass between centre-back and left-back to find Vrsajevic overlapping with gusto. But the Hajduk Split man drags his shot well wide.
41 min: Spahic is back on, by the way.
40 min: Besic skitters into the penalty area but Hosseini sticks out a leg and makes a vital, brilliantly-timed tackle.
38 min: The lively Haji Safi picks up a deep cross and looks to cut inside from the left. He's crowded out but he's Iran's best outlet at the moment.
37 min: Spahic looks to be in trouble here. He's being carried off on the stretcher after Ghoochannejhad's late tackle.
36 min: "I think se should do away with goal difference as first tie breaker (and move it to second)," writes Thomas Krantz, "and go for the fastest goal scored as first. Would probably promote more attacking play early in matches." It's a madcap theory. But I like it.
34 min: Iran haven't just gone up a gear since Dzeko's goal. They've ditched the Bedford Rascal for a steamroller. But they're still two goals away from the knockout stage as it stands.
32 min: A short corner almost catches Bosnia out, but Dejagah's eventual cross is straight into Begovic's hands.
30 min: … what a save! The free-kick pings into the wall but is lofted back in. It's flicked on and volleyed goalwards but Begovic sprawls Schmeichel-style to make the block. Although, in the end, the flag is up for offside anyway.
29 min: Besic, not for the first time, brings down an Iranian player. Shojaei was on the receiving end on this occasion. It's a soft one, in truth, as soft as Mr Soft's soft underbelly, but it's a dangerous free-kick …
28 min: "I like to imagine a scenario where all six matches in a group end up 0-0 and the following conversation ensues," writes Richard Harland. "'How are we going to sort out this stalemate?' 'Draw lots.' 'But that's how we got into this scenario!'" HONK!
26 min: Two Bosnia players crash into each other in the centre-circle. Sunjic seems to be struggling. And I don't think he's being helped by Dzeko lifting him to his feet and jiggling him about.
24 min: Almost an immediate response from Iran! Shojaei picks up a loose ball on the edge on the box and stabs – almost toe-pokes – a shot onto the underside of the bar. Ghoochannejad can't connect properly with the rebound (although he was offside anyway).
GOAL! Bosnia-Herzegovina 1-0 Iran (Dzeko 23)
This is a thumping strike from the Manchester City man. He rumbles forward from midfield, cuts inside onto his left foot, and sends a low shot arrowing into the bottom corner. No celebration.
22 min: Bosnia-Herzegovina have had 71% of the possession thus far. Iran are holding firm though.
21 min: Dejagah looks to spin away from four – four! – markers but can't wriggle away.
19 min: Haji Safi swings a ball boxwards from what might be considered Danny Blind territory. There's no flying Van Persie on the end of it, though. Just a Stoke goalkeeper.
18 min: Bosnia-Herzegovina have been comfortably the better team so far here, without creating anything of much note.
16 min: "Surely the dream is still on?" writes Paul Keane. "If Nigeria lose by one goal, and Iran win by the same scoreline that Nigeria lose by, then is it not still possible to be tied in all preceding criteria? eg. Nigeria lose 3-2 and Iran win 3-2, then they both have 3 goals for and 3 goals against. Or am I confused?" That all sounds right. I just don't know anymore.
14 min: Dejagah drives into the box and fizzed the ball across. Spahic gets there first on the six-yard line. That was Iran's best moment thus far.
12 min: … Pjanic wangs it straight into the wall.
11 min: A Bosnia corner is flicked on, then nodded clear. But Pjanic is brought down at the corner of the box. Dangerous free-kick …
10 min: Dzeko gets across his marker and sends a header at goal. It's easy enough for Haghighi to gather.
8 min: "Re the separation of teams tied on points," begins Luke Williams. "Am I dim (please don’t answer yet; you hardly know me), or are options d) and e) in the FIFA list mutually inclusive in this tournament? If the teams, who play each other only once, cannot be separated by the result of the match between them, it must have been a draw, so the GD would by definition be zero." You're half-right Luke. I think I'm right in saying that that clause would only come into play if there were three teams level on points, goals and goal difference.
7 min: It has been an even start in Salvador. Very even. Very even indeed.
5 min: One for stats fans – if Iran go through, all 14 players from the Persian Gulf Cup league at the World Cup will be in the knockout stages. That and lots more league-based intrigue can be found in this here interactive.
4 min: The Drawing of Lots – the dream dies. It's already Argentina 1-1 Nigeria.
3 min: Dzeko turns on a sixpence – or whatever the Boznia-Herzegovinian version of a sixpence is – and whelps a shot at goal from close range. Haghighi tips over.
1 min: Haji Safi tumbles optimistically in the penalty area. Spahic stepped across the left-sided forward, but the referee shakes his head.
Peep! Off we go then.
ADVERTS! ADVERTS! ADVERTS!
Buy a car! Drink beer! Go on holiday!
Click-clack, click-clack … Out come the players.
"Drawing lots," begins Ross Richey. "When, if ever, was the last time that happened?"
The last time it happened was 1990, but it did not lead to a team going out. In Italy lots were drawn to decide the group placings of Holland and the Republic of Ireland after they finished level on three points after three draws.
And in 1954 lots were used to decide whether Spain or Turkey entered the World Cup due to the frankly ludicrous two-team qualifying group that did not take goals scored or goal difference into account. Spain won 4-1 in Madrid, Turkey 1-0 in Istanbul, and the subsequent play-off on neutral ground in Rome finished 2-2. A 14-year-old lad named Luigi Franco Gemma, was blindfolded and picked Turkey out of the hat.
The situation
Iran have to win and hope Nigeria lose against Argentina. Any other combination of results sees the Super Eagles join Messi and co in the knockout stages. Intriguingly if Iran win 1-0 and Nigeria lose 1-0 (neither of which is out of the question) the team to go through will be decided by … [pause for dramatic effect] … The Drawing of Lots!
Nigeria and Iran would be level on points (3), goal difference (0), and goals scored (1), and the game between the sides finished 0-0. And Fifa's regulations (PDF) are pretty clear on the situation:
5. The ranking of each team in each group shall be determined as follows:
a) greatest number of points obtained in all group matches;
b) goal difference in all group matches;
c) greatest number of goals scored in all group matches.
If two or more teams are equal on the basis of the above three criteria, their rankings shall be determined as follows:
d) greatest number of points obtained in the group matches between the teams concerned;
e) goal difference resulting from the group matches between the teams concerned;
f) greater number of goals scored in all group matches between the teams concerned;
g) drawing of lots by the FIFA Organising Committee.
The draw (if it is required) will be held 90 minutes after the final whistles at the Maracana.
So Iran are unchanged from the narrow defeat to Argentina. Bosnia, on the other hand, have made five changes: Vedad Ibisevic comes in up front, Avdija Vrsajevic and Sead Kolasinac start in the full-back positions, and midfielders Tino Sven Susic and Anel Hadzic are in too. Susic, by the by, is the coach's nephew.
The teams
Bosnia-Herzegovina: Begovic; Vrsalevic, Spahic, Sunjic, Kolasinac; Susic, Besic, Pjanic, Hadzic; Dzeko, Ibisevic. Subs: Fejzic, Avdukic, Bicakcic, Vranjes, Misimovic, Mujdza, Lulic, Ibricic, Medunjanin, Visca, Hajrovic, Salihovic.
Iran: Haghighi, Montazeri, Sadeghi, Hosseini, Pooladi; Haji Safi, Nekounam, Teymourian; Dejagah, Ghoochanneijhad, Shojaei. Subs: Ahmadi, Heydari, R Haghighi, Reza Jahanbakhsh, Ansarifard, Haddadifa, Mahini, Alenemeh, Rahmani, Beikzadeh, Beitashour, Davari.
Preamble
The thoughts of Ian McCourt:
One goal would probably do it. A singular, solitary, stinking, measly goal. That's all. And it doesn't have to be one that leaves half the nation needing jaw realignment surgery. That would be nice – of course it would be nice – but it can be bundled over the line via the knee, shin or nose for all Iran give two hoots about. For you see, Carlos Queiroz's side can still qualify for the next round of the World Cup except to do so, they just have to do something they haven't done since Sohrab Bakhtiarizadeh drew them level with a header against Angola in 2006. And that's score a World Cup goal. One singular, solitary, stinking, measly goal would probably do it.
Here's the bad news. Scoring goals has not quite been Iran's forte – they bagged just 8 in 8 games in their final qualification group and four of those came in a win over Lebanon. Here's the good news: defending very much has been. (Hence the one-goal theory.) And were it not for a moment of footballing genius from Lionel Messi, Iran would have pulled off one of the greatest (and most deserved) upsets of this World Cup, and perhaps many others, as well as one of the best defensive displays in Brazil.
For that defensive organisation, they must thank Queiroz, he of the brain behind Manchester United's defensive solidity in their jaunts around Europe. Against Argentina, they tirelessly worked together in formation closing down space and denying the opposition time on the ball. Their strong tackling disrupted Argentina's rhythm and they refused to allow the enemy into the areas where they could be hurt. They forced La Albiceleste into long-range, off target efforts – Messi scored with Argentina's 21st and final shot; it was only their 4th on target – and on another day with another referee, could have had a penalty from Pablo Zabaleta's challenge. How that would have changed things.
Given what he done for them, the Iranians will be sad to see Queiroz say toodle pip. "If Queiroz leaves,” cried Reza Ghoochannejhad, “Iranian football will be the loser. It would be a bad thing. Queiroz has been in Iranian football for three years and knows all the players. I cannot believe he won’t be there after the World Cup. I hope he stays with the team.” He will leave of course – due to a lack of financial support from the Iranian government – but he could leave on quite the high note. One singular, solitary, stinking, measly goal would probably do it.
As for Bosnia-Hercegovina, they have fled the World Cup with all the speed of a bank robber leaving the crime scene when he hears police sirens wailing in the distance. And they are none too happy about it either. Most of the anger has centred on the man in the middle for the defeat to Nigeria, New Zealand's Peter O'Leary. "We should have won the game,” lamented Edin Dzeko. “But the referee was shameful. We are going home, we are sad because of that. But this referee should be going home, too. He changed the game. That’s why we lost. It was obviously a foul on our captain [in the buildup to Peter Odemwingie's goal] and before, when I scored the goal, it was never offside.” That picture with Vincent Enyeama soon added fuel to an already burgeoning fire and by the time you read this preamble, over 20,000 Bosnia fans will have signed a petition to have O'Leary removed from the tournament, set up stocks and have rotten tomatoes flung at him by passers-by.
Of course, O'Leary is not the only reason they lost and is not the only reason Bosnia are doing one home. The World Cup debutants could not cope with the speed and movement of Nigeria. Nor their desire to leave the field of play with three points in their pocket, as Safet Susic conceded afterwards: "They wanted to win probably that much more than us." Susic needs to shoulder some of the blame too, as his tactical gamble failed to pay off big time. Wrote Jonathan Wilson in his match report:
Susic had dropped a strong hint that his team would return to the 4-4-2 that saw them through qualifying, with Vedad Ibisevic returning alongside Edin Dzeko, but instead he opted for a strangely lopsided 4-2-3-1, with the Lazio winger Senad Lulic deployed at left-back to overlap Zvjezdan Misimovic as Miralem Pjanic moved forward to take up a central playmaking role ... The enhanced attacking thrust, though, was more than offset by a loss of defensive stability. Bosnia were dreadfully vulnerable on their left.
And which side did Nigeria's goal come down? Exactly. Still Bosnia have (in qualfying at least) proved themselves to be a decent side and with a touch more proper refereeing, they might still have had something to play for this evening. One thing is for sure, they will certainly not roll over and let Iran tickle their belly. This is going to be a tight affair and you could see just one goal separating the sides. One singular, solitary, stinking, measly goal.
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