Key events<\/p>\n
Show key events only<\/p>\n
Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature<\/p>\n
38 min: Bajraktarevi\u0107 curls a lovely cross in from the right for Demirovi\u0107, who from 12 yards flashes a header inches wide of the bottom-left corner. Donnarumma was rooted to the spot. So close to an equaliser.<\/p>\n
Share<\/a><\/p>\n 36 min: Tell you what, though: replays show that offside decision was close. Had he scored, VAR would have had to get the rulers out. I suspect he was the width of a few pixels off, but I wouldn\u2019t bet the farm on that being the case. Italy<\/a> certainly can be got at.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 35 min: A long pass quarterbacked down the middle by Dzeko. Memic gets ahead of the Italian back line, just inside the box, but heads the dropping ball over the bar. It would have been a spectacular goal had he connected properly. Or a spectacular disallowed goal: the flag goes up for offside.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 34 min: \u2026 and now Demirovi\u0107 wallops Calafiori from behind. Bosnia and Herzegovina perhaps showing a little frustration at the lack of reward for their efforts.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 33 min: Barella slaloms elegantly down the middle of the park and is cynically clipped by Sunjic, who is slightly fortunate not to go into the book. Barella would have found himself in a lot of space had he got past Sunjic \u2026 which he kind of had. Lucky Sunjic.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 31 min: \u2026 and now Mancini takes his sweet time over a throw, and is told by referee Cl\u00e9ment Turpin to get a wriggle on.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 30 min: Italy<\/a> take a while to restart the game after that shot, then play some more patient passes around the back. Probably wise, given the pressure Bosnia and Herzegovina have been applying.<\/p>\n Nikola Katic fights for the ball with Italy forward Mateo Retegui. Photograph: Elvis Baruk\u010di\u0107\/AFP\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a015.25 EDT<\/p>\n 28 min: \u2026 and now Memic lashes one over the bar from long range. Meanwhile more from Bob Kurac: \u201cVasilj (= Basil) was being berated last week for Wales\u2019 goal, and was generally having a bit of a shocker – soft save in the shoot out aside – whilst Darlow was performing miracles at the other end. But Bosnia were the better team after going one down, so let\u2019s not write them off yet.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 27 min: Bajraktarevi\u0107 advances down the right and dinks into the middle, hoping to find Dzeko, a couple of yards out. But Bastoni clears.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 25 min: The pitch isn\u2019t exactly a bowling green, and so Locatelli\u2019s low drive from distance bobbles erratically as it heads towards the bottom right. Vasilj gathers with great care.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 24 min: Dedic cuts in from the right and aims for the top left. His shot deflects off Locatelli and out for a corner. The ball comes in from the right. Kati\u0107 finds himself in a laughably large pocket of space, 12 yards out, and should do better than steering a weak header towards the bottom right. Easy for Donnarumma. More pace on that, and the keeper might have been in trouble. The hosts have responded really well to falling behind.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 23 min: Italy<\/a> have had a lot more possession, though. They\u2019re on 61 percent right now.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 22 min: \u2026 and it\u2019s nearly two, as Politano and Mancini combine down the right, the latter\u2019s low cross hacked clear by Katic under pressure from Retegui. This does not feel like a one-goal-will-settle-it game.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 21 min: Bosnia and Herzegovina have now had six attempts at goal, to Italy\u2019s one. But look at the scoreline.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 20 min: Memic\u2019s deep cross from the left wins a corner. It\u2019s sent in from the right and only half cleared. Basi\u0107, in a pocket of space just to the right of the D, aims a rising screamer towards the top right. It\u2019s heading in, but Donnarumma stretches to parry dramatically. Wonderful football all round.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a015.14 EDT<\/p>\n 19 min: The hosts have responded well to falling behind. Dzeko, Memic and Demirovi\u0107 are causing quite a few problems.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 18 min: That was such a brave decision by Kean to take that shot first time. Many would have set themselves first by taking a touch. But Kean backed his talent. A wonderfully controlled finish. Fine assist by Barella, too. The less said about poor Vasilj the better.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 16 min: Bosnia and Herzegovina nearly hit back immediately, a cross coming into the Italian box from the left, Katic flashing a header wide left from six yards. Big chance.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>GOAL! Bosnia and Herzegovina 0-1 Italy (Kean 15)<\/p>\n This is a sensational finish. But it\u2019s a goal that starts with a cock-up, the home keeper Vasilj slicing a simple clearance straight to Barella, 30 yards out, just to the right of centre. Barella rolls infield for Kean, who meets the ball first time on the edge of the D, opening his body to steer a powerful shot with the inside of his boot into the top right! Wow!<\/p>\n Moise Kean scores for Italy! Photograph: Matteo Ciambelli\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a015.10 EDT<\/p>\n 13 min: \u2026 Tonali scuffs the corner into the side netting. That was an awful delivery. Italy<\/a> haven\u2019t found their feet yet in the final third. A few nervous touches here and there.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 12 min: Barella has the chance to slip Politano into space down the right. A simple pass that he overhits. But Politano gets there and hooks into the middle. The hosts half-clear, then Barella makes up for his earlier mistake by earning a corner down the right. And from that \u2026<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 10 min: Italy<\/a> settle things down a bit with some old-school passing around the back. Nice and patient, in the 1960s style.<\/p>\n Ermedin Demirovic in action with Alessandro Bastoni. Photograph: Amel Emri\u0107\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a015.01 EDT<\/p>\n 8 min: Tonali sends a flat, fast cross in from the left. Retegui tries to flick a header on, ten yards out, but can\u2019t connect properly. The hosts counter, Dzeko looping a ball down the left for Memic to chase. Barella comes across to usher the ball out for a throw. Bosnia and Herzegovina coach Sergej Barbarez suggests there was a naughty high-kick aimed at his player, but nobody else seems to mind.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 7 min: Demirovi\u0107 picks up possession in the centre circle and is allowed to make his way down the inside-right channel, to the edge of the box. He has a dig. It\u2019s straight at Donnarumma, who gathers. Not sure where the Italian midfield was there.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 5 min: \u2026 and as a result, Italy\u2019s coach is already on the touchline, palms down, the international gesture for Settle Down. \u201cAll eyes, then, on Gattuso as his players succeed or fail,\u201d begins Charles Antaki. \u201cNever blessed with classic Italian good looks, dear old Gennaro has filled out a bit since his prime years with Milan, and his slightly frog-like outline now makes you worry whether the tension might make him puff up and burst. Much to play for.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 4 min: Dzeko makes a nuisance of himself on the edge of the Italian box. He feeds Dedic on the left. A low cross is hacked clear by Calafiori \u2026 but straight into Locatelli and back out for a corner! That rebound could have gone absolutely anywhere. Nothing comes of the resulting corner. Italy\u2019s defence was all over the shop during that build-up.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 2 min: Dimarco goes long for Kean, who cushions down for Tonali. The ball\u2019s slipped wide right to Politano, one of Italy\u2019s better performers against Northern Ireland. But his cross hits the first man. The hosts clear their lines.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Bosnia and Herzegovina get the ball rolling! Calafiori and Dedic immediately run into each other in slapstick style. Onwards and upwards.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Here come the teams! A fine atmosphere at the Stadion Bilino Polje in Zenica, even if one stand is unpopulated. An intimate feel, exactly what Bosnia & Herzegovina were after. Coaches Sergej Barbarez and Gennaro Gattuso embrace warmly. Then the anthems: Italy<\/a> roar theirs emotionally; the hosts listen, stock still, with hands on hearts. This means everything to everyone. Off in a minute!<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n As if there wasn\u2019t enough pressure on Italy<\/a> tonight, a couple of their players were caught on camera jigging around in delight when Bosnia and Herzegovina beat Wales on penalties. Guglielmo Vicario and Federico Dimarco the guilty parties. A slight that will no doubt be mentioned in the home side\u2019s pre-match team-talk. \u201cI don\u2019t know why Italy preferred not to play in Wales,\u201d wondered Edin D\u017eeko. \u201cWe went there without fear and won. If Italy are afraid to play in Wales, something isn\u2019t right.\u201d Bear poked, seeds sown, gauntlet down.<\/p>\n Gatusso has tried to play down the controversy. \u201cDespite what happened the other day, we know the truth of the matter is there isn\u2019t a difference between Wales and Bosnia,\u201d he insisted. \u201cIt\u2019s honestly not a clich\u00e9 to admit this is a tough match and we respect them.\u201d<\/p>\n This promises to be good fun.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Pre-match postbag. \u201cBosnia play in Zenica, not the capital Sarajevo where there is a far bigger stadium, as it tends to rattle visiting teams. I saw them hold Portugal to a very creditable 0-0 in a Nov 2011 Euro qualifier first leg, despite Ronaldo hitting the bar in the last minute. Maybe the ground got to the visitors: however, they tonked them 6-2 in the second leg. No second leg tonight though\u201d \u2013 Bob Kurac<\/p>\n \u201cIsn\u2019t Signor Gattuso married to a Scottish woman? Should his charges fail to qualify tonight, he will face a hard summer of watching the other team in blue go into battle to the cheers of his other half. Even if the jibes and banter will inevitably stop after three games\u201d \u2013 Justin Kavanagh<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Kit Watch. Bosnia and Herzegovina get first-kit dibs as the home side, so they\u2019re playing in their blue shirts with yellow trim \u2026<\/p>\n It\u2019s fortunate for the Head of Trinkets at the Bosnia and Herzegovina Football Federation that we\u2019re not doing Pennant Watch today. Photograph: Sr\u0111an Stevanovi\u0107\/UEFA\/Getty Images<\/p>\n \u2026 and so the Azzurri are forced into second-choice white. Italy have always cut a dash in white shirts \u2013 see also Enzo Bearzot\u2019s beyond-stylish sports jacket at the 1982 World Cup<\/a> \u2013 so no complaints there. But there\u2019s something slightly off about that redesigned shield. Not pointy enough at the bottom. Italy wearing adidas doesn\u2019t sit right either. Come back, Diadora, make the world right again.<\/p>\n \u2026 and while we\u2019re on the subject, Germany shouldn\u2019t be defecting to Nike either. Photograph: Claudio Villa\/FIGC\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Bosnia and Herzegovina coach Sergej Barbarez makes one change to the side that started in Cardiff, replacing Benjamin Tahirovi\u0107 with Ivan Ba\u0161i\u0107 in midfield. Sead Kola\u0161inac, an injury concern after picking up a knock, starts in defence. Former Manchester City striker Edin D\u017eeko, 40, leads their attack.<\/p>\n Italy boss Gennaro Gattuso names exactly the same starting XI. He\u2019ll be keeping his fingers crossed that Sandro Tonali, who will set the tone in midfield, can last the full 90.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>The teams<\/p>\n Bosnia and Herzegovina: Vasilj, Dedic, Muharemovic, Katic, Kolasinac, Bajraktarevic, Sunjic, Basic, Memic, Demirovic, Dzeko. Italy: Donnarumma, Mancini, Bastoni, Calafiori, Politano, Barella, Locatelli, Tonali, Dimarco, Kean, Retegui. Referee: Clement Turpin (France).<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Preamble<\/p>\n Boznia and Herzegovina want to get to the 2026 World Cup<\/a> finals just as much as Italy. But we don\u2019t write the rules, and this story is all about the Azzurri, who are in danger of becoming the first of the World Cup behemoths to fail to qualify for three tournaments in a row. Uruguay, France, Spain and England have all missed two on the bounce, but a third consecutive failure for a footballing nation of this import would be unprecedented. And no, the pre-totaalvoetbal Dutch don\u2019t count.<\/p>\n Italy weren\u2019t particularly good against Northern Ireland last week. But then neither were Bosnia and Herzegovina as they squeezed past Wales, and the four-time winners have a good record against the men from the Balkan Peninsula. Bosnia and Herzegovina won the first meeting between the countries, in 1996, but since then it\u2019s been pretty much all Italy<\/a>, with four wins and a draw from the five matches played between 2019 and 2024. So on balance, you\u2019d expect Rino Gattuso\u2019s team to make it to North America this summer \u2026 but then most folk thought they\u2019d see off Sweden to get to 2018 and North Macedonia ahead of 2022, and look what happened there. Kick-off is at 7.45pm BST. It\u2019s on!<\/p>\n
Subs: Hadzikic, Zlomislic, Mujakic, Celik, Tahirovic, Tabakovic, Radeljic, Alajbegovic, Burnic, Hadziahmetovic, Bazdar, Gigovic.<\/p>\n
Subs: Carnesecchi, Meret, Palestra, Spinazzola, Buongiorno, Raspadori, Pisilli, Esposito, Cristante, Frattesi, Gatti, Cambiaso.<\/p>\n