Bosnia crushes Estonia 5-0 in first Russia 2018 qualifier

Bosnia handily defeated Estonia, asserting their dominance from the opening kickoff. HSV Hamburg defender, Emir Spahic put Bosnia in the lead the 7th minute with a header, Edin Dzeko put away a penalty kick in the 23rd minute, and the team added another three goals after halftime, while the anemic Estonia only forced two saves the entire game.

I had originally planned on attending this game until I realized that it was being played in Zenica, a 45-minute drive northeast of Sarajevo. Therefore, I opted to watch the game from the comfort of my Airbnb flat. When I asked a local why the game wasn’t being played in the capital, he informed me that none of the stadiums in Sarajevo meet UEFA’s international standards, therefore all the national team games are played in Zenica.

The current national squad consists of players who, all but one, play their soccer in other parts of Europe, with half the team playing league ball in either Germany and Italy. Probably the most recognizable players are Roma striker Edin Dzeko, Juventus midfielder Miralem Pjanic, and Chelsea’s backup keeper, Asmir Begovic.

Bosnia, which if one bothers to rely on the idiosyncratic algorithms of the fickle FIFA ratings system, is currently ranked 28th in the world. (As a point of reference, the USMNT is currently tied for 26th with a considerably weaker than normal Dutch side.) They are in Group F for the first round of European qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, along with Belgium(2nd), Greece (surprisingly low-52nd), Cyprus (86th), Estonia (117th) and first-time entry, Gibraltar.

First place in the group earns an automatic trip to Russia, whereas the 2nd place finisher in the group phase plays a home-and-home against another 2nd place team to qualify. So this is a terrific start for Bosnia, giving them a healthy goal differential, which will be beneficial if they are tied on points at the end of the qualifying round.