World Cup: Bosnia and Herzegovina on brink of Round of 32 with Alajbegović's wonder goal

Bosnia and Herzegovina are confident of joining the Round of 32 after their 3-1 victory over Qatar in Group B. Sergej Barbarez's side finished third in the group with four points as they will now have to wait whether they will be one of the best third-placed teams.

18-year-old sensation Kerim Alajbegović, who is linked with a move to either Atalanta or Roma from Bayer Leverkusen, opened the scoring with a superb finish in the half-hour mark. Sultan Al-Brake then scored Qatar’s second own-goal of the tournament when he tried to clear Edin Džeko's delivery from the right flank.

Qatar reduced the deficit before the half-time break with legendary midfielder Hasan Al-Haydos scoring in his 190th international cap. Substitute Ermin Mahmić further boosted Bosnia and Herzegovina’s chances of qualifying for the knockout stage with a goal ten minutes before the final whistle.

Karlsruhe's Dženis Burnić came on as a late substitute, while five German-based players were in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s starting XI. Schalke's 40-year-old striker Džeko, who scored in their first-ever World Cup win 12 years ago (3-1 vs. Iran), captained the side.

Julen Lopetegui's side are the sixth team to get knocked out of the group stage. Bosnia and Herzegovina will most likely face the United States if they manage to stay as one of the top eight teams in the ranking of third-placed countries. Their qualification could even be sealed after tomorrow's games.