Win a shock for Bosnia-Herzegovina

Having come to play for a draw at best, Bosnia-Herzegovina were surprised to leave Norway with a 2-1 win on Saturday to reignite their UEFA EURO 2008™ hopes.

Radical changes
Defeats at home against Hungary and Greece in their most recent qualifiers had prompted a dramatic change of approach for Fuad Muzurović, with nine first-time internationals being named in the squad for the game, while only four players survived from the 4-0 defeat at home against Greece in their previous qualifier.

First-half goals
Little was expected of the new-look team, but after kick-off was delayed as smoke from flares enshrouded the pitch, Muzurović's men took command, with Zvjezdan Misimović and Zlatan Muslimović scoring in the first half. John Carew converted from the spot for Norway, but the visitors held out for the win.

'We trusted ourselves'
"The match was tough," said Muzurović, who was taking charge of his first game since returning to the helm in December. "The players gave their maximum, just the way they promised before taking off for Oslo. Many people didn't believe in us, but we trusted ourselves. We wanted a draw, but we got a win."

Early stages
While the team had hardly had a chance to play together, they put in a sterling performance which augured well for the future. "This team is in its early phase of development, and will get better," said Muzurović who previously led the nation between 1992 and 1997 in their first years following independence.

Hopes reignited
Muzurović's intention may have been to start building a squad with a view to qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, but victory in Oslo has given Bosnia-Herzegovina renewed hope of challenging Group B leaders Turkey and Greece when they return to qualifying action at the start of June.

'Even better'
"We all played as one, and result shows that," said goalscorer Misimović, the newly-appointed national team captain. "This is a great success for a team which has just started working together. We gave our best and this win will just inspire us to play even better in our next matches."