Ultimately both Bosnia and Herzegovina and Iran fell at the first hurdle, but can look back at their time in Brazil with hope for the future.
Firstly Iran. Going into the final round of fixtures, coach Carlos Queiroz was dreaming of making history. No man had ever led Iran to the knockout stage of a World Cup.
The equation was simple for the side that qualified for the World Cup in Brazil as the number one seeded team from Asia. They had to beat Bosnia in Salvador and hope that Argentina defeated Nigeria in the other game in Group F. Should both results had ended 1-0, then the place in the last 16 would be decided by the drawing of lots, but frankly Iran would have taken such odds at the start of the competition.
So for the first time in the tournament Iran were under pressure. In the end Queiroz and co froze as history beckoned. The defensive organisation which had seen Iran get in such a position disappeared. Queiroz has brought to the job as national boss of Iran, a disciplined and stubborn playing style.
Yet Bosnia attacked at will throughout the 90 minutes and could have scored more had they have been more clinical in front of goal (more of that later). In the end the Europeans ran out comfortable winners in the biggest match in Iranian football history. Nobody expected Iran to progress in what was a tricky group, but when the opportunity presented itself Queiroz never looked like getting his side over the line.
In the first half Bosnia controlled the match. Iran sat in deep, like they had done against Argentina and Nigeria. Yet this was a game they had to win. Queiroz set up the side not to concede when they had to break their goal scoring duck. Iran had failed to score in the first two matches when they were looking for any kind of result. When they had to score at least once, they barely troubled Asmir Begovic in the Bosnian goal until Charlton striker Reza Ghoochannejhad ended the wait for an Iranian goal in the 81st minute. But by then it was too late.
Queiroz in hindsight got his tactics wrong in the crunch match against Bosnia. The Portuguese coach is likely to leave his post in the Middle East this summer. Yet what he has installed in the national side and the legacy that he may leave behind, will serve the Iranians well. It must not be forgotten that they only conceded one goal against Nigeria and Argentina, a stunner by Lionel Messi deep in injury time.
Football is a growing sport in Iran and with 10,000 supporters in Salvador it is clear that it is on the rise. Their impressive World Cup showing, even though it ended in failure, will undoubtedly help this and serve as a great memory. However it will also serve as lesson, fortune favours the brave.
Now for Bosnia. Even before the tournament started they had made history. The World Cup in Brazil was to be the country’s first appearance at a major competition since gaining national independence after years of war during the 1990s. Many thought they could be the surprise package in Brazil. They were to disappoint.
In their first match against Argentina at the Maracana they pushed the South Americans close. Only a piece of brilliance from Messi denied Bosnia what would have been a historic moment in the history of the nation. Yet it was their second outing against African champions Nigeria where Bosnia will look back and feel frustrated.
For both these games coach Safet Susic ditched his tried and tested 4-4-2 in favour of a more defensive 4-5-1. This meant dropping striker Vedad Ibisevic in favour of an extra midfielder. Ibisevic had formed a dynamic partnership with Edin Dzeko. Their 18 goals in qualifying had been a major factor in their qualification for the World Cup.
This shift in mentality may ultimately cost Susic his job. In the days since their narrow defeat to Nigeria, the Bosnian press have blamed their coach for the side’s early departure from Brazil. They were certainly competitive in Group F. Yet in that crucial game in Nigeria they failed to recreate the attacking flair that had brought them to their first international tournament. In the second half once Nigeria had taken the lead, Bosnia failed to break down the Africans and created few clear chances.
Trying to earn some pride, Susic reverted back to 4-4-2 against Iran. It worked. For large spells they dominated. Dzeko lead the line superbly and looked at home with his partner Ibisevic. Bosnia’s star man, Roma midfielder Miralem Pjanic had his best game of the competition in the final round of fixtures. He was back to his best, supporting the two forward players, grabbing a goal which his play deserved.
The World Cup is an unforgiving event. Just ask Italy. Yet there is a great feeling that Bosnia only have themselves to blame for their early exit. In a group many fancied them to progress from, they went into the last round of games already eliminated. Yet, like with Iran, the future looks good for this unestablished footballing nation.
Bosnia will learn much from Brazil 2014. With Euro 2016 expanding to 24 teams, Bosnia have a great chance of putting the lessons they have learnt this summer into action. The Eastern European side have a core of players that still have years ahead of them at the top level. For a country with such a troubled past, football looks set to be at the centre of a brighter future.
Follow Richard Hinman on Twitter: @RichardHinman
